Net neutrality has remained a topic of debate. Recently, a federal appeals court has struck down the net neutrality rules of the Federal Communications Commission (FCC).
In 2015, FCC has issued Open Internet Order — it guaranteed net neutrality. As a principle it meant that internet service providers will treat all communications equally. This results into consistent service and pricing for both users and content providers. In 2017, FCC rescinded the net neutrality requirement. It was reinstated in 2024 by President Biden. In January 2025, it has been struck down again.
The users of internet have not experienced any changes at all.
To begin with, it was argued net naturality was essential for freedom speech and freedom of the inherent. If there is no net neutrality, the small corporations would decide the content and would charge more for the content they found objectionable or unprofitable. Some even contended that one would have to pay for internet one word at a time. The reality is vastly different. There is expanded bandwidth. There is plenty of access. Neutrality or no neutrality, it has remained fully accessible.
The supply is elastic. The sky is falling mentality is not good. It was argued net neutrality is required to bridge the digital divide. It was predicted that in the absence of net neutrality, the streaming business would crash. Introduction of net neutrality was hailed as historic, and end of net neutrality as a move towards internet’s death. Such commentators do not appreciate the economics. Internet in the 1990s flourished under non-conformist anticorporate spirit.
Today, there are complaints about the harmful effects of internet on minors and excess of pornography. It means there is excess of access to the internet. It is just the opposite of what the supporters of net neutrality warned about. Markets have expanded output.
One lesson from this debate is about free speech. Those who control and transmit information across the internet are essentially calling for censor to limit the speech of some users.
Net neutrality — good bye! And who will miss it? None.
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