Im Parlament der möglichen Medienpraktiken. Anmerkungen zur Netzneutralitätskontroverse

Abstract

This essay traces some developments of the network neutrality debate in Germany. It focuses on the Enquête-Kommission 'Internet and Digital Society' in the German Bundestag (2010–2012), and activist actions to promote network neutrality as a public issue (2013). Furthermore, the underlying concept of network neutrality – the 'end-to-end-principle' – is located in its historical beginnings from 1984 onwards. To understand what network neutrality is about, both data from participant observation and Science and Technology Studies heuristics are put to use. I propose to understand this infrastructural controversy as part of a bigger shift in the history of digitally networked media – one that might be dissolving the general purpose character of the Internet, thus transforming it into networks of special purpose applications and platforms.