Net Neutrality and mHealth

This tweet caught me off guard. I was struck even by the suggestion that net neutrality would be good for mHealth. As I read the article, I just kept thinking that this person doesn’t understand net neutrality. I think they must have read something off of a press release. Then, at the end they talked about the coming Google Fiber (it’s already in place in a couple cities) and I realized they were just not very well informed.

The article tries to make the case the mHealth and things like telemedicine could benefit from net neutrality. Here’s that section:

Many speculate that network neutrality brings with it benefits for mHealth and the healthcare field as a whole by allowing companies who can afford it (such as the telemedicine industry) faster internet speed.

I’d like to see which telemedicine companies can afford to pay extra for the bandwidth. As a fan of startups and innovation, I can think of nothing worse than net neutrality. It places an extra tax on any company that wants to try and innovate in a space. If you can’t afford to pay for the faster internet speed, then you’re shut out from participating. That shuts out most startup companies and helps companies with a lot of cash to throw around.

What are your thoughts on net neutrality and mHealth? Is it a good or bad thing?