By Joseph A. Curtatone

(The opinions and views expressed in the commentaries of The Somerville Times belong solely to the authors of those commentaries and do not reflect the views or opinions of The Somerville Times, its staff or publishers)

Net neutrality may sound like a sci-fi term, but it’s an important concept currently under threat. What’s at stake is the ability for young companies to innovate, consumers to get the best possible service at reasonable prices and the freedom of information that is at our fingertips today.

In short, net neutrality calls for all Internet traffic to be treated equally—in other words, whether you load up The Somerville Times website, the New York Times website or YouTube, the data from those sites and every site is treated the same by your Internet provider. The New York Times doesn’t get to funnel its data through a virtual fast lane by paying more to an Internet provider, nor can your provider slow down the data from other websites. The Federal Communication Commission made a commitment to net neutrality in 2010, when it passed regulations that would prohibit Internet broadband providers from blocking or discriminating against data and also require those companies to disclose how they manage their networks.

Unfortunately, after Verizon filed suit against the FCC over the new regulations, a federal appeals court ruled in January that the 2010 regulations would be illegal under current law. The FCC is now accepting comments from the public until Sept. 10 on its website and via email at openInternet@fcc.gov, and will host six roundtable discussions in September and October as it looks to draft new rules that would be upheld in court and maintain net neutrality.

Here’s why this is important: Without net neutrality, Internet providers will be free to charge more to companies and, more importantly, slow down or restrict access to data from other services and sites. Many of these Internet companies provide much more than Internet service. The largest Internet providers in the U.S.—Verizon, Comcast and AT&T—all also offer phone service and cable television service with on demand viewing, for instance. Online services like Netflix and Hulu are in direct competition with that on demand TV service, while other services like Skype compete with telephone services.

Those Internet providers will say that the market would not allow, for instance, one of the providers to block or slow down, say, Netflix or Skype or a particular news source because consumers would shop around and find a provider that gives good access to that service. But we all know that most communities have only a few options for broadband Internet service, and if the two or three providers in a community all block or put the same services at a disadvantage, conceivably consumers will have no real choice and in some cases no access to certain services or information sources. The only decision left will be which provider you will pay more.

If net neutrality is not upheld, more than just consumers will be negatively impacted. Our local economy as a whole would suffer. Somerville is The Innovation City, attracting companies that help form the foundation of the 21st century economy. Attracting these new industries, in addition to supporting the local businesses we already have today, is how we can expand our commercial tax base and create local jobs.

Start-ups that are blazing new trails rely on net neutrality. Many of today’s well-known companies were founded by entrepreneurs who did not have to pay higher fees to ensure their data would flow the same and their websites would work as well as already established companies. They did not have to submit to Internet providers an application for their website or program to be added to and allowed by their networks. They came up with an idea, did the work and launched their product online. Net neutrality protects this kind of innovation by ensuring that everyone has access to the same Internet service. If Internet providers are allowed to treat data differently, it could stifle innovation and subsequently the next-generation companies that are helping to broaden Somerville’s tax base and strengthen our economy.

There are simply no good arguments for why we should block access to the digital highway. We would never tell a new package delivery service they can’t use our roads or airways as they get started. Where would Federal Express, UPS or DHL be if we had? We shouldn’t put up roadblocks for new Internet-based businesses either.

Fortunately the FCC had made it clear that it intends to draft new regulations that would uphold net neutrality, but the companies that are seeking to fatten their wallets at the cost of consumers and the innovation economy want to argue against this principle.

We hope the FCC will do the right thing, but we have a backup plan too. Cities across the nation are looking into what is known as municipal fiber to ensure free and equal access to data delivery via fiberoptic cable systems owned by cities. Somerville recently joined Boston and Cambridge at a meeting hosted by the Ash Center for Democratic Governance and Innovation at Harvard to begin considering long-range options. The city provides water services because it’s necessary for life. If needed, we will work to provide net neutrality as well because it’s necessary for no less than the life of our economy, for innovation, and, ultimately, the free speech and the freedom of information that undergirds our democracy. But, for now, I just ask you to make your voice heard. Go to fcc.gov/comments or email openInternet@fcc.gov. Protect free speech, the innovation economy and yourself as a consumer, and tell the FCC to support net neutrality.