What is net neutrality? How does it affect you?

Net neutrality is more than just a phrase thrown around by politicians and broadband companies — it’s a debate on internet use. The status of net neutrality laws in the U.S. has ping-ponged with each new president in recent years. In 2017, the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) repealed sweeping net neutrality rules passed just two years before; in July 2021, an executive order was signed to restore them. In 2025, net neutrality rules were again blocked and cited as too “heavy-handed” by the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit in Cincinnati, Ohio.

Net neutrality overview

The basis of net neutrality follows the idea that the internet is a public utility and should be regulated, so internet providers must treat all data, traffic and users on the internet equally. Net neutrality law focuses on regulating and/or preventing three main practices:

• Blocking: Internet service providers (ISPs) cannot block or prevent access to any lawful content on the web
• Paid prioritization: Providers cannot prioritize companies or consumers who pay a premium for a “fast lane” and keep those who don’t pay in a “slow lane”
• Throttling: Providers cannot limit your bandwidth or slow your connection based on your internet activities

Some real-world examples include:

• Cox introduced its Elite Gamer service in 2019, offering a “fast lane” for gamers if they paid extra. This is also known as paid prioritization, which net neutrality laws prohibit. The service was discontinued in 2023
• A 2018 study from Northeastern University and the University of Massachusetts revealed that Sprint was slowing traffic to Microsoft’s Skype service, a practice known as throttling
• AT&T previously allowed its customers to stream its own video service without it counting against their data limit, a practice known as zero-rating. AT&T ended this practice in 2021

Without net neutrality or other laws protecting equal content, ISPs could, in theory, block certain websites and favor others. For example, your internet provider could theoretically make Netflix slower in order to push you toward its cable TV service. Or, your ISP could allow their subscribers to stream Peacock content for free, while charging subscribers for watching Netflix. With net neutrality, you would have free and equal access to both Peacock and Netflix.

Another example would be your ISP slowing your connection every time you try to game over Twitch, but speeding it back up again when you’re not gaming, a practice known as throttling.

Arguments for and against net neutrality

The history of net neutrality

In 2003, Columbia University law professor Tim Wu first used the phrase “network neutrality” in a paper about broadband discrimination. At the time, Wu hoped to provide a “general perspective” on net neutrality stating that: “Government regulation in such contexts invariably tries to help ensure that the short-term interests of the owner do not prevent the best products or applications becoming available to end-users.”

The idea caught on quickly. The administration at the time enacted anti-discrimination rules aimed at protecting net neutrality, but it wasn’t until 2015 that the FCC passed its sweeping net neutrality order.

But it turned out to be short-lived. Just two years later, the FCC repealed those rules. The FCC hoped to restore many of those rules with an executive order in 2021, but net neutrality was again blocked in early 2025 in the U.S. Courts of Appeals.

Here’s a quick history lesson showing how the debate has evolved:

• 2003: Both Comcast and Cox blocked their internet subscribers from using virtual private networks (VPNs)
• 2004: FCC chair Michael Powell gave a speech titled “Four Internet Freedoms”: Freedom to access content, freedom to use applications, freedom to attach personal devices and freedom to obtain service plan information
• 2005: North Carolina provider Madison River Communication was fined $15,000 for blocking Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) calls and ordered to stop by the FCC
• 2006: Congress rejected five different bills that would have given the FCC power to enforce net neutrality violations
• 2007: The Internet Freedom Preservation Act, a bill to amend the Communications Act of 1934 to ensure net neutrality, was introduced in Congress but never passed
• 2008: The FCC voted 3-2 that Comcast throttling BitTorrent is illegal and violates net neutrality rules. Then-FCC Chairman Kevin Martin said: “We need to protect consumers’ access. While Comcast has said it would stop the arbitrary blocking, consumers deserve to know that the commitment is backed up by legal enforcement”
• 2009: After scrutiny by the FCC, AT&T reversed its policy that blocked iPhone users from making internet calls over its cellular network via non-Apple apps such as Skype and Google Voice
• 2012: Comcast internet subscribers with an Xbox 360 were able to stream Comcast’s On Demand videos through the console without worrying about going over their monthly data limit. Comcast users streaming through other consoles or platforms were still subject to data limits. Comcast’s Xfinity app on Xbox 360 shut down a few years later
• 2014: Comcast users complained they were experiencing poor speeds for Netflix. To solve the problem, Comcast charged Netflix a fee to improve the “interconnection between ISPs” and speed up their content (something other ISPs had done with Netflix but without the fee). A year later, the FCC investigated the legality of Netflix’s interconnection complaints and other video providers, such as HBO, Sony and SHOWTIME® started asking ISPs for dedicated bandwidth to improve their video content
• 2014: The FCC proposed dividing the internet into fast and slow lanes. Comedian John Oliver addressed the issue on Last Week Tonight, comparing Comcast’s slowing of Netflix speeds to a “mob shakedown.” The FCC received 21.9 million comments on the issue, crashing its website
• 2015: Then-FCC Chairman Tom Wheeler, the FCC votes 3-2 to adopt the net neutrality law ensuring “that no one — whether government or corporate — should control free open access to the internet”
• 2017: In another net neutrality vote, this time under Chairman Ajit Pai, the FCC voted 3-2 for a net neutrality repeal. Rules around blocking, throttling and paid prioritization are reversed
• 2019: A D.C. Circuit Court of Appeals ruled that the FCC can legally repeal the net neutrality regulations previously put forth
• 2021: An executive order was signed restoring the 2015 net neutrality rules
• 2022: The Net Neutrality and Broadband Justice Act, introduced in the summer of 2022, seeks to reclassify broadband services as telecommunications services under the Communications Act, thus giving the FCC authority to reinstate net neutrality
• 2024: The FCC officially votes to restore net neutrality rules
• 2025: Net neutrality is blocked by the Sixth Circuit U.S. Court of Appeals

Net neutrality blocked by a U.S. Court of Appeals

In early 2025, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit in Cincinnati blocked the reinstatement of net neutrality rules.

After the 2015 net neutrality rules were repealed in 2017, a 2021 executive order pushed to reinstate the rules. In April 2024, the FCC officially voted to reinstate net neutrality in a 3-2 vote.

The 2024, the FCC ruled in favor of classifying broadband as a public utility, meaning it can be subjected to government regulation, like water and electricity. The reinstated rules also required ISPs to treat all internet users equally, prohibiting discrimination based on the user, content, platform or application.

The U.S. Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit ruled in favor of challenging internet service providers, claiming the FCC does not have the authority to reinstate the net neutrality rules initially implemented in 2015.

Following the ruling, FCC Chairman Brendan Carr praised the appellate court’s decision. 

“I am pleased that the appellate court invalidated President Biden’s Internet power grab by striking down these unlawful Title II regulations,” he said in a statement. “But the work to unwind the Biden Administration’s regulatory overreach will continue. I welcome the chance to advance a policy agenda that will deliver great results for the American people.”

With net neutrality rules blocked in federal court, federal oversight of the internet now lies with Congress, as echoed by the previous FCC Chairwoman Jessica Rosenworcel:

“Consumers across the country have told us again and again that they want an internet that is fast, open, and fair. With this decision it is clear that Congress now needs to heed their call, take up the charge for net neutrality, and put open internet principles in federal law.”

Jessica Rosenworcel

Former FCC Chairwoman

Despite the ruling against federal net neutrality rules, current state-level net neutrality remains intact. Net neutrality legislation has been passed in six states: California, Colorado, Maine, New Jersey, Oregon, Vermont and Washington.

What does net neutrality mean for you?

What net neutrality law means for you depends on how you view the need for government regulation of the internet. For some, internet oversight allows for more transparency, consumer protections and more competition. For others, it signifies higher consumer costs, reduced investment and overreach.

What we do know is that a lack of net neutrality law means that ISPs are free to do pretty much anything and push boundaries. Right now, there are no laws preventing: 

• The blocking of websites, services or online content
• Throttling or slowing down certain websites or services
• Paid prioritization (ISPs can give preferential treatment to some websites and services over others)

Some providers like Starry Internet have given their public stances on net neutrality law to provide some clarity during the many court cases and rulings.

“These are our clear Open Internet commitments to our customers:”

• We do not prioritize any content, application or service
• We do not block access to any legal content, application or service
• We do not cap the amount of data you can use
• We do not inspect and collect the contents of data packets that transit through our network
• We do not throttle specific content, applications or services
• We do not prohibit you from attaching non-harmful devices to your connection

However, Starry is one of the few providers that has given an explicit statement on net neutrality. Providers like Spectrum, Optimum and Xfinity state that they also will not prioritize content, but some will cap your data to help with network congestion. 

Be sure to look into your provider’s data cap and throttling rules before you sign a contract, or you may find yourself experiencing low-quality service with an otherwise perfectly good internet plan. 

Net neutrality FAQs