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The net neutrality rules adopted in 2015 under the Obama administration regulated the internet as a common carrier, the same category as telephone service, under Title II of the Telecommunications Act of 1996. The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) rules prevented internet service providers (ISPs) from blocking, slowing, prioritizing, or charging consumers extra money to access certain websites. For example, under net neutrality rules, Verizon could not speed up access to websites it owns, such as Yahoo and AOL, and could not slow down traffic, or charge extra fees, to other major websites like Google or YouTube.
On Dec. 14, 2017, under the Trump administration, the FCC voted (3-2) to overturn those net neutrality rules and reclassified internet service as an information source, rather than a common carrier.
Many state attorneys general filed suit against the FCC decision. The US Senate voted 52-47 to approve a resolution to invalidate the decision, however the legislation fell short by 46 votes in the US House of Representatives. The FCC’s removal of net neutrality rules was officially implemented on June 11, 2018.
In Sep. 2018, California passed a net neutrality law and was immediately sued by the Trump Administration Justice Department. On Feb. 8, 2021, the Biden administration Justice Department withdrew the lawsuit against California, and FCC Acting Chairwoman Jessica Rosenworcel indicated support for reinstating net neutrality rules.
According to the National Law Review, as of Mar. 1, 2021, “seven states have adopted net neutrality laws (California, Colorado, Maine, New Jersey, Oregon, Vermont, and Washington), and several other states have introduced some form of net neutrality legislation in the 2021 legislative session (among them Connecticut, Kentucky, Missouri, New York, and South Carolina).”
Pro
- Net neutrality preserves free speech on the internet by prohibiting internet service providers from blocking content.
- Net neutrality protects consumers by preventing ISPs from speeding, slowing, or charging higher fees for select online content.
- Net neutrality promotes competition by providing a level playing field for new companies.
Con
- Net neutrality regulations are unnecessary because the internet developed amazingly well in their absence.
- Net neutrality created burdensome and overreaching regulations to govern the internet.
- Net neutrality reduces investment in internet services resulting in less access and higher costs for consumers.
This article was published on May 14, 2021, at Britannica’s ProCon.org, a nonpartisan issue-information source. Go to ProCon.org to learn more.