A ‘two-tier’ internet where content providers pay a premium to guarantee a speedy web site will damage the future growth of the web, according to search giant Google.

The net neutrality principle ­ which argues that everyone should have equal access to data on the internet ­ is the key to ensuring fair competition online, Google director of research Peter Norvig told Computing.

‘The net has grown far beyond the original perception bounds because it is open and because services can be launched without being fettered by higher-level control,’ said Norvig.

‘At Google, we think it is good for competition to try to keep services this way, and that is what we are going to push for,’ he said.

The net neutrality debate is taking off in the US. Google is asking the communications regulator to ensure the winner of the current wireless spectrum auctions will act as a wholesaler, guaranteeing competition.

And last week the US Department of Justice entered the dispute with claims that network operators such as AT&T and Verizon should be allowed to charge contact providers for access to high-bandwidth services.

Increased regulation of internet traffic may be inevitable because of technological rather than regulatory limitations, according to the ISP Association (ISPA).

‘If there is not some form of traffic management by internet companies, then services such as video and voice could be degraded to a point where they are unusable,’ said an ISPA spokesman.

But while Google is concerned that restrictions could eat into its profits, developments are unlikely to infringe on the freedom of individuals surfing the web.

Norvig spoke at last week’s annual conference of the Association for Learning Technology.