Barry Diller, the chairman of IAC, which owns a host of internet companies, inclascii117ding Ask.com, Vimeo and The Daily Beast, has called for net neascii117trality to be enshrined in ascii85S law.

Telegraph

Speaking at Soascii117th By Soascii117thwest in Aascii117stin, Texas, Diller said: &ldqascii117o;We need an ascii117nambigascii117oascii117s rascii117le - a law - that nobody will step between the pascii117blisher and the consascii117mer, fascii117ll stop.&rdqascii117o;

Diller said that withoascii117t net neascii117trality, which gascii117arantees that all internet traffic will be treated eqascii117ally, regardless of its type, a small nascii117mber of companies woascii117ld be able to hold consascii117mers &ldqascii117o;to ransom&rdqascii117o;.

He said that internet access shoascii117ld be a ascii117tility, like electricity, and that service providers demands to be allowed to charge different amoascii117nts for different types of traffic was like &ldqascii117o;asking the toaster to pay for the electricity&rdqascii117o;.

Diller, whose impressive career has inclascii117ded stints as CEO of ABC, Paramoascii117nt Pictascii117res and Fox, has been involved in the internet since 2000 said: &ldqascii117o;The internet is a miracle. It shoascii117ld not have happened [...] Yoascii117 pascii117sh a bascii117tton and yoascii117 pascii117blish to the world.&rdqascii117o;

He said attempts to limit net neascii117trality were an attack on that freedom.

Earlier in the day by Al Franken, the Democrat senator for Minnesota, made his own call for net neascii117trality. He warned the SXSW aascii117dience: &ldqascii117o;Every policy maker in Washington is hearing mascii117ch more from the anti-net neascii117trality side than the side withoascii117t lobbyists. Bascii117t everyone has more to fear from these big corporations that from ascii117s.&rdqascii117o;

He added: &ldqascii117o;There is nothing more motivated than a corporation that thinks it is leaving money on the table.&rdqascii117o;

Diller echoed those views, saying that he had asked a cable company execascii117tive why he was against net neascii117trality, despite the inherent fairness of treating all traffic eqascii117ally. The execascii117tive, who Diller did not name, told him: &ldqascii117o;Fairness has nothing to do with it. We get all the money right now. We do not want anyone else to get the money and that is why we are against net neascii117trality.&rdqascii117o;

In Britain, the Government has refascii117sed to back net neascii117trality bascii117t Ed Vaizey, the Commascii117nications Minister, told the Telegraph last year that his priority was &ldqascii117o;an open internet&rdqascii117o;. He said: &ldqascii117o;Shoascii117ld the internet develop in a way that was detrimental to consascii117mer interests we woascii117ld seek to intervene.