How to Save the Net: Don’t Give In to Big ISPs

[Commentary] We'll never realize broadband's potential if large Internet service providers erect a pay-to-play system that charges both the sender and receiver for the same content. That's why we at Netflix are so vocal about the need for strong network neutrality, which, for us, means ISPs should enable equal access to content without favoring, impeding, or charging particular content providers.

The Federal Communications Commission has historically focused only on last-mile connections -- the final leg of the Internet that connects individual homes to the World Wide Web. Today's problem spots are further upstream, at the choke point where companies like Netflix pass our traffic off to the ISPs. If the FCC doesn't expand its purview to include these transactions, it would be better to have no rules than the ones being proposed -- which simply legalize discrimination on the Internet.

[Hastings is the CEO of Netflix]