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Net Neutrality

Net neutrality is a set of rules adopted by the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) which say Internet Service Providers (ISPs) such as Comcast, Time Warner, AT&T, and Verizon, cannot block, throttle, or prioritize certain content on the Internet.

Net Neutrality | Pros, Cons, Debate, Arguments, Censorship, & Internet  Britannica Network Neutrality  American Library Association net neutrality  Britannica New VPA Report Recommends “Net Neutrality for AI”  Vanderbilt Law School Net neutrality was back, until it wasn’t  The Verge Trump admin demands states exempt ISPs from net neutrality and price laws  Ars Technica EU’s Digital Networks Act Leaves Big Tech Untouched, Sparks Net Neutrality Concerns  Tech Policy Press Kessler bill to establish net neutrality standards in Maine is now law  Maine.gov Public Interest Groups Quiet on Net Neutrality Ahead of Aug. 8 Supreme Court Deadline  Broadband Breakfast In Rush Order — and Without Public Comment — Trump FCC Removes Net Neutrality Rules  freepress.net EFF and 80 Organizations Call on EU Policymakers to Preserve Net Neutrality in the Digital Networks Act  Electronic Frontier Foundation Ofcom Publish 9th Annual Report into UK Net Neutrality Issues  ISPreview UK FCC axes Net Neutrality rules, which weren't in effect anyway  ConsumerAffairs Telcos want net neutrality rules updated for 5G era  The Economic Times Net neutrality: Everything you need to know  ExpressVPN Public Interest Groups Won’t Take Net Neutrality Case to Supreme Court Now  Broadband Breakfast Net neutrality advocates won’t appeal loss, say they don’t trust Supreme Court  Ars Technica The fight for net neutrality is forever  The Verge Carr Eliminates Already Defunct Net Neutrality Regulations  Broadband Breakfast Trump Reverses Biden’s Big Tech and Broadband Oversight Order  Broadband Breakfast Net Neutrality: Here's Everything You Need To Know  WIRED Net Neutrality  Public Knowledge AI makes the fight for net neutrality even more important  Brookings The End of Net Neutrality  Cato Institute Don’t be fooled: Net neutrality is about more than just blocking and throttling  Brookings Net neutrality is dead — welcome to the age of ‘pay-to-play’ and premium access  The Hill Chairwoman Rosenworcel Archive: Net Neutrality  Federal Communications Commission (.gov) The Uncertain Future of Net Neutrality and Internet Regulation  Pryor Cashman LLP Net neutrality is back: U.S. promises fast, safe and reliable internet for all  NPR ISPs Drop Legal Fight Against California Net Neutrality Law  Stanford Law School What the End of U.S. Net Neutrality Means  Scientific American The FCC’s Groundhog Day: The mistake of bringing back net neutrality  Americans for Prosperity The Myth of Net Neutrality and the Reality of Network Management  American Enterprise Institute - AEI 'Net neutrality' is ending. Here's how your internet use could change  PBS Net Neutrality Is Back, for Now  Perkins Coie Net neutrality is struck, ending a long battle to regulate ISPs like public utilities  NPR The Tangled Web of Net Neutrality and Regulation  Harvard Business Review Net Neutrality 2022 Legislation  National Conference of State Legislatures Why Net Neutrality Can’t Wait  American Civil Liberties Union What Is Net Neutrality? Myths and Realities  freepress.net President Biden: The Time To Restore Net Neutrality Is Now  American Civil Liberties Union Everyone is celebrating the net neutrality victory, but what the heck is it?  Pensacola News Journal FCC Moves to Revive Net Neutrality Rules, Setting Up Another Lengthy Regulatory Battle  Akin Net Neutrality  Electronic Frontier Foundation F.C.C. Votes to Restore Net Neutrality Rules (Published 2024)  The New York Times Cantwell, Markey Commend Upcoming FCC Net Neutrality Rule - U.S. Senate Committe...  Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation (.gov) US court blocks Biden administration net neutrality rules  Reuters Net neutrality 2.0: Perspectives on FCC regulation of internet service providers  Brookings Whatever happened to Net Neutrality?  Washington Policy Center How Big Tech Uses Net Neutrality To Subvert Competition  promarket.org Why the FCC’s Net Neutrality Rules Were Struck Down  Perkins Coie F.C.C. Repeals Net Neutrality Rules (Published 2017)  The New York Times Internet Access & Net Neutrality  Common Cause FCC Votes to Restore Net Neutrality  Common Cause Myths vs. Facts: Net Neutrality  American Legislative Exchange Council The Internet Service Business Without Net Neutrality  Fordham Law News Net Neutrality Rules Struck Down by Appeals Court (Published 2025)  The New York Times Net neutrality rules reinstatement temporarily halted by US appeals court  Reuters Governor Mills Signs Law to Support Net Neutrality and Protect Internet Users  Maine.gov What is net neutrality? As FCC chair weighs return, what to know about the internet rule  USA Today US appeals court blocks Biden administration effort to restore net-neutrality rules  Reuters What the Reinstatement of Net Neutrality Means for Higher Education  EdTech Magazine The FCC Can’t Give You Net Neutrality  The Federalist Society Here’s who’ll benefit — and who might not — if net neutrality is repealed as expected  Los Angeles Times Regulating Internet Service Providers as Common Carriers Will Not Satisfy Net Neutrality Advocates  Brookings Net Neutrality Rules Officially Struck Down  Washington Policy Center Court strikes down US net neutrality rules  BBC Net Neutrality: A Free and Open Internet  National Archives (.gov) Net Neutrality Is and Has Always Been a Bipartisan Issue  New America Court Pulls Plug on Net Neutrality  Tech Policy Press A return to US net neutrality rules?  The Cloudflare Blog Kavanaugh on net neutrality: U.S. Telecom Association v. Federal Communications Commission  SCOTUSblog FCC Repeals 'Net Neutrality' Rules For Internet Providers  NPR FCC Net Neutrality Online Public Comments Contain Many Inaccuracies and Duplicates  Pew Research Center FCC’s ‘Net Neutrality’ Rules Struck Down. Could This Mean Slower Internet for Schools?  Education Week What loss of net neutrality could mean for consumers, content providers  Northeastern Global News The Sixth Circuit Stays the FCC’s Latest Net Neutrality Flip-Flop  The Federalist Society Net Neutrality Explained  NYU School of Law California’s net neutrality law and the case for zero-rating government services  Brookings The FCC is Expected to Propose the Return of Net Neutrality Protections Oct 19th - Let’s Hope They Get it Right!  Electronic Frontier Foundation The Frightening Stakes of this Halloween’s Net Neutrality Hearing  Electronic Frontier Foundation Net neutrality rules restored by US agency, reversing Trump  Reuters Net Neutrality Vote Coming Soon: What It Means for Everyday Internet and Streaming  CNET Sixth Circuit Strikes Down FCC Net Neutrality Rules  Inside Global Tech Net neutrality is back. What does that mean for schools?  K-12 Dive The long, painful path of net neutrality (Published 2021)  The New York Times What's Next for Net Neutrality?  Broadband Breakfast Proof That Net Neutrality Was Never about ‘Saving the Internet’  The Daily Economy ISPs Ask Supreme Court to Find N.Y. Law Illegal – After Net Neutrality is Sorted Out  Broadband Breakfast Internet Regulation Is Back: FCC Refuses to Retire "Net Neutrality" Rules  Cato Institute Experts Disagree on Net Neutrality Legal Ground  Broadband Breakfast Net Neutrality is Back: A Legal Perspective on the FCC’s Recent Vote to Reinstate Neutrality  Spencer Fane Sixth Circuit Court Stay Decision Risks Consumer Protections, Net Neutrality  Public Knowledge Without Net Neutrality, I Would Not Be Trans  them.us Net Neutrality Has Officially Been Repealed. Here’s How That Could Affect You. (Published 2018)  The New York Times Net neutrality is back as FCC votes to regulate internet providers  CNN F.C.C. Moves Toward Restoring Net Neutrality Rules, Igniting Regulatory Fight (Published 2023)  The New York Times Federal court strikes down FCC’s net neutrality rules  StateScoop Debunking the Left’s Myths on Net Neutrality  The Heritage Foundation Survey: Consumers Favor Strong Net Neutrality Rules  Consumer Reports

What is Net Neutrality?

Net neutrality is the principle that Internet service providers must treat all data on the Internet the same, and not discriminate or charge differently by user, content, website, platform, application, type of attached equipment, or method of communication. For instance, under these principles, internet service providers are unable to intentionally block, slow down or charge money for specific websites and online content.

The term was coined by Columbia University media law professor Tim Wu in 2003, as an extension of the longstanding concept of a common carrier, which was used to describe the role of telephone systems.

A widely cited example of a violation of net neutrality principles was the Internet service provider Comcast's secret slowing ("throttling") of uploads from peer-to-peer file sharing (P2P) applications by using forged packets. Comcast did not stop blocking these protocols, like BitTorrent, until the FCC ordered them to stop. In another minor example, The Madison River Communications company was fined US$15,000 by the FCC, in 2004, for restricting their customers' access to Vonage, which was rivaling their own services. AT&T was also caught limiting access to FaceTime, so only those users who paid for AT&T's new shared data plans could access the application. In July 2017, Verizon Wireless was accused of throttling after users noticed that videos played on Netflix and Youtube were slower than usual, though Verizon commented that it was conducting "network testing" and that net neutrality rules permit "reasonable network management practices".

Research suggests that a combination of policy instruments will help realize the range of valued political and economic objectives central to the network neutrality debate. Combined with strong public opinion, this has led some governments to regulate broadband Internet services as a public utility, similar to the way electricity, gas, and the water supply are regulated, along with limiting providers and regulating the options those providers can offer.