A couple of years ago, I received an email with the subject line Internet usage will cost you more.

With the words cost more striking terror in my savvy shopping heart, I opened the message. As it turned out, what I found was an articulate letter concerning the issue of net neutrality.

What I couldnt find was anything enlightening. Instead of an explanation of the pros and cons of this important topic, all I got were hot button words like liberty, bureaucrat and government takeover.

Since I couldnt rely on the email to make sense of things, I had to take matters into my own hands and find out the facts for myself. Back then, I shared what I found out to help inform savvy shoppers. As this important subject has been recently resurrected for proposed changes, I thought revisiting this issue might be timely:

Basics Before going too much farther, it probably a good idea to answer the question What is net neutrality?

In a nutshell, net neutrality is the idea that all internet traffic be treated equally. Whether you are checking email, shopping, posting to Facebook or streaming video, all the information you send and receive should be treated the same.

In other words, your internet service provider, or ISP, cant arbitrarily block or slow down your access to content.

Since its inception, the web has been operating according to this principle. However, in 2010, Verizon successfully persuaded the courts to overturn existing net neutrality rules. What resulted was a renewed debate over what net neutrality should be and how it should be implemented.

Although net neutrality rules were formalized in 2015, some now suggest that these standards should be relaxed or abolished altogether.

Why does net neutrality matter? On a societal level, open and equal access to the web has fostered an environment where innovators have had an equitable shot at establishing an online presence.

Without protection against artificial barriers, many argue that companies like Google and Facebook, which were recently small start-ups, might not be around today.

In addition, the idea of equal access helps assure that existing content providers have a level playing field. Otherwise, an ISP could use its control of the internet to capriciously create advantages for itself and its partners.

As one example, AT&T could contrive an edge for its movie services by throttling video signals from companies like Netflix and Hulu. Taken farther, an ISP could use their control over internet traffic to extort money from companies that want to maintain unfettered flow.

Over time, this lack of openness would probably alter the competitive landscape to a situation where business connections, rather than merit, determine a companys viability.

Cost On an end user level, I think the possible end of net neutrality carries implications that are huge in terms of cost and service.

In the first place, any development that decreases competition is bound to increase prices. At the same time, if competition somehow endures, the immense power that ISPs possess virtually assures that content providers like Facebook will experience substantially increased costs.

Why should you care? As the saying goes, any cost borne by a company ultimately gets passed to the consumer. In other words, get ready to pay for a lot of websites that are now free. In my opinion, everything from Ask.com to Youtube is at risk.

Complexity As much as I dont care for increased prices, this much I can almost stand. What I really dread about compromised net neutrality is the Pandoras box of complexity that is bound to open up.

If access to the internet can be variably priced and arbitrarily throttled for providers, whats to stop this from happening to consumers as well? In a word, nothing!

In fact, such opportunity for additional revenue streams would probably prove irresistible to the Viacoms of the world. Put another way, get ready for highly complicated billing that would make Einstein throw up his hands in despair.

For starters, rates could be variable based on the time of day, date, and your real time usage level. Suffice to say that the possibilities for complication are virtually limitless. Potentially, customers will experience exponentially greater time and trouble while paying more for internet access.

While everyone claims to be for an open internet, opinions widely differ on the best way to achieve this.

Recently, the Federal Communications Commissionvoted to overturn the existing rules for an open and unfettered web. Although the time for public comment has passed, many observers agree that this is a beginning of the debate rather than the end.

In other words, this issue is far from settled.

With the stakes very high for customers, I believe it is imperative for savvy shoppers to get acquainted with this issue, get involved and influence the outcome. In case you think you cant make a difference, it was public outcry that got net neutrality formalized in the first place. There is no better time to get involved. We have nothing to lose but incomprehensible bills and skyrocketing prices!

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SEAN FIELDS is the A-Js Savvy Shopper. Read his columns Sundays and Wednesdays. Email him at SavvyShopperLubbock@gmail.com, like his Facebook page at Facebook.com/LubbockSavvyShopper, or see previous columns and deals at lubbockonline.com/savvy-shopper.

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Savvy Shopper: Education yourself about net neutrality it still matters - LubbockOnline.com