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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.

California may gut state net neutrality law to comply with Trump admin demand  Ars Technica Net Neutrality | Pros, Cons, Debate, Arguments, Censorship, & Internet  Britannica Burger King explains net neutrality... and it's kind of awesome  actionnetwork.org South Korea's Big 3 Telcos Call for Overhaul of Net Neutrality, Rate Rules for AI and 6G Era  finance.biggo.com Whatever happened to net neutrality?  Tangle News EU’s Digital Networks Act Leaves Big Tech Untouched, Sparks Net Neutrality Concerns  Tech Policy Press Red Alert for Net Neutrality  New America John Oliver's Net Neutrality Plea Crashes FCC Website  PCMag The EU Commission is gutting net neutrality  European Digital Rights (EDRi) Winning the Net Neutrality Race  American Enterprise Institute - AEI Net neutrality was back, until it wasn’t  The Verge EBU calls on EU lawmakers preserve radio in cars and net neutrality in the Digital Networks Act  EBU VMO2 says ‘outdated’ net neutrality rules are stifling innovation  Telecoms User Clip: Amazon's Paul Misener on Net Neutrality  C-SPAN Roth: No State Net Neutrality, Affordability Laws for BEAD Participants  Broadband Breakfast Cover Net Neutrality  mediamatters.org Net Neutrality 2 (2017)  IMDb Don’t be fooled: Net neutrality is about more than just blocking and throttling  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 Trump admin demands states exempt ISPs from net neutrality and price laws  Ars Technica Deutsche Telekom case shines light on ‘two-speed’ internet  EUobserver AI makes the fight for net neutrality even more important  Brookings The Myth of Net Neutrality and the Reality of Network Management  American Enterprise Institute - AEI The End of Net Neutrality  Cato Institute The Uncertain Future of Net Neutrality and Internet Regulation  Pryor Cashman LLP ISPs Drop Legal Fight Against California Net Neutrality Law  Stanford Law School Reinstating ‘Net Neutrality’ Is to Ignore Reality  Cato Institute The FCC’s Groundhog Day: The mistake of bringing back net neutrality  Americans for Prosperity F.C.C. Repeals Net Neutrality Rules (Published 2017)  The New York Times Net neutrality is struck, ending a long battle to regulate ISPs like public utilities  NPR Net neutrality is back: U.S. promises fast, safe and reliable internet for all  NPR Net Neutrality Violations: A History of Abuse  freepress.net What the End of U.S. Net Neutrality Means  Scientific American Why Net Neutrality Can’t Wait  American Civil Liberties Union F.C.C. Votes to Restore Net Neutrality Rules (Published 2024)  The New York Times Myths vs. Facts: Net Neutrality  American Legislative Exchange Council Net Neutrality Rules Struck Down by Appeals Court (Published 2025)  The New York Times US court blocks Biden administration net neutrality rules  reuters.com Internet Regulation Is Back: FCC Refuses to Retire "Net Neutrality" Rules  Cato Institute Court strikes down US net neutrality rules  bbc.com Net neutrality restored as FCC votes to regulate internet providers  AP News In Rush Order — and Without Public Comment — Trump FCC Removes Net Neutrality Rules  freepress.net Kavanaugh on net neutrality: U.S. Telecom Association v. Federal Communications Commission  SCOTUSblog Sixth Circuit Rules Against Net Neutrality; EFF Will Continue to Fight  Electronic Frontier Foundation Understanding Net Neutrality  Third Way Net Neutrality is Back: A Legal Perspective on the FCC’s Recent Vote to Reinstate Neutrality  Spencer Fane What the Reinstatement of Net Neutrality Means for Higher Education  EdTech Magazine UPDATE: Net Neutrality Open Internet Order Set Aside  Davis Wright Tremaine FCC's net neutrality rules temporarily blocked by appeals court  Axios Sixth Circuit strikes down new neutrality regulation  Mackinac Center How Big Tech Uses Net Neutrality To Subvert Competition  promarket.org 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 EFF and 80 Organizations Call on EU Policymakers to Preserve Net Neutrality in the Digital Networks Act  Electronic Frontier Foundation Net neutrality rules about corporate control over internet speeds blocked by federal appeals court  CBS News Net Neutrality is Back! – Open Policy & Advocacy  The Mozilla Blog Net Neutrality Is and Has Always Been a Bipartisan Issue  New America Major Questions on Net Neutrality  Competitive Enterprise Institute How the UK Can Reform Net Neutrality Regulations and Promote Innovation  Competitive Enterprise Institute The FCC Can’t Give You Net Neutrality  The Federalist Society Net neutrality rules reinstatement temporarily halted by US appeals court  reuters.com What is net neutrality? And why it’s vital to the future of the internet, Northeastern computer scientist explains  Northeastern Global News Groups ask US court to reconsider ruling blocking net neutrality rules  reuters.com Whatever happened to Net Neutrality?  Washington Policy Center Carr Eliminates Already Defunct Net Neutrality Regulations  Broadband Breakfast Twitch Shuts Down in South Korea: A Reminder of Why We Fight For Net Neutrality  Public Knowledge Did the Death of “Net Neutrality” Live Up to Doomsday Predictions?  Foundation for Economic Education HB 1582: Net Neutrality  ACLU of Illinois Net neutrality is dead — welcome to the age of ‘pay-to-play’ and premium access  The Hill FCC’s net neutrality rules struck down, in another blow to Biden administration  Los Angeles Times The FCC Restores Net Neutrality. What It Means for the Internet  WSJ FCC reinstates net neutrality, but it’s not as easy as it once was  The Washington Post Court Pulls Plug on Net Neutrality  Tech Policy Press Net neutrality is back as FCC votes to regulate internet providers | CNN Business  CNN Sixth Circuit Strikes Down FCC Net Neutrality Rules  Inside Global Tech Netflix Reenters Fight Over Open Internet Rules as Government Anticipates Restoring Net Neutrality  The Hollywood Reporter Content Delivery Networks Want to Be Excluded From Net Neutrality Rules  Broadband Breakfast Net neutrality is back: FCC bars broadband providers from meddling with internet speed  CBS News In the net neutrality debate, what might follow Mozilla v. FCC?  Brookings Opinion | Finally, some rules for the internet  The Washington Post FCC reinstating net neutrality could slow internet gains: report  Fox Business Network Slicing and Net Neutrality  The Federalist Society President Biden: The Time To Restore Net Neutrality Is Now  American Civil Liberties Union Free Press and the History of the Net Neutrality Fight  freepress.net Sen. Marsha Blackburn Attempts to Block Net Neutrality  Broadband Breakfast FCC Rollback of Net Neutrality Rules Is Partly Upheld by Appeals Court  WSJ What the End of Net Neutrality Actually Means  knowledge.wharton.upenn.edu Law Prof van Schewick Calls Net Neutrality Ruling 'a Radical Decision’  Broadband Breakfast FCC reinstates net neutrality  Politico In blow to Democrats, federal appeals court strikes down net neutrality  The Washington Post Cable and telecom groups sue Vermont over net neutrality measures  VTDigger Court Ruling Opens Door for Net Neutrality in the States  MultiState Public Interest Groups Quiet on Net Neutrality Ahead of Aug. 8 Supreme Court Deadline  Broadband Breakfast The Downside of Net Neutrality  Scientific American Opinion | Trump killed net neutrality. Congress is getting a chance to bring it back.  NBC News Opposition to Net Neutrality Was Faked, New York Says (Published 2021)  The New York Times Montana Leads State Action on Net Neutrality  MultiState Net Neutrality Repeal: The Internet Apocalypse That Never Came  Foundation for Economic Education FCC Refuses to Stay Net Neutrality Rules, Setting Up Court Battle  Broadband Breakfast Pennsylvania Introduces Bill to Restore Net Neutrality Protections  Broadband Breakfast

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.