On Thursday, the Federal Trade Commission voted to reinstate “net neutrality” rules, which prevent broadband internet providers like Comcast and Verizon from giving preferential treatment to certain sites and apps over others. This decision effectively revives a net neutrality order first issued in 2015 during the Obama administration. In 2017, under then-President Donald Trump, the FCC repealed these rules.
The vote, split along party lines with Democratic commissioners in favor and Republicans opposed, passed the measure 3-2. Net neutrality essentially mandates that internet service providers treat all online traffic equally, removing any incentive they might have to favor business partners or hinder competitors. Public Knowledge, a public interest group, defines net neutrality as “the principle that the company that connects you to the internet does not get to control what you do on the internet.”
For instance, the rules prohibit practices like throttling or blocking certain sites or apps, or giving higher speeds to services or customers who pay more. FCC Chairwoman Jessica Rosenworcel stated, “We know that broadband is a necessity, not a luxury,” emphasizing the importance of this decision.
Although it has been nearly seven years since the FCC repealed the previous net neutrality rules, their restoration is not expected to significantly alter users’ online experiences. This is partly due to several states having enacted their own net neutrality measures before 2015, which remained in effect when the FCC reversed course in 2017 after Trump’s election. According to John Bergmayer, legal director at Public Knowledge, “Some of the absolute worst excesses from (internet providers) were kept in check by state-level oversight.”
The telecommunications industry has consistently opposed the reintroduction of federal net neutrality rules, viewing them as unnecessary government interference in business decisions.