Don't Take Away My Pandora!

Although it seems like a great idea, I never really got the urgency of Net Neutrality. After all, if it wasn't in place, it just seemed like it would affect file sharers. However, now that the concept's been shot down by at least one court, some of the implications of not having it in place are becoming clear: Pandora's in trouble!

The move by the federal court paves the way for ISPs to now more effectively manage their bandwidth, up to and including putting limitations on data-gorging services such as Pandora. In fact, service providers are now free to halt or suspend high data usage applications as necessary, to protect the quality of service they provide. Although this is unlikely, it is probable that wireless carriers will soon require fees for specific applications such as Pandora from consumers, as their infrastructure needs increase over time.

Would you pay for Pandora? It depends on how much they charge, but man is it a good tool for learning about and listening to excellent new music you never would have heard of were it not for the service. Here's hoping they stay solvent!