RESTORE THE NET NEUTRALITY RULES ESTABLISHED IN FEBRUARY
2015. CLASSIFY INTERNET SERVICE PROVIDERS AS "COMMON CARRIERS" UNDER TITLE II OF THE COMMUNICATIONS ACT
Net Neutrality — an entrepreneur's fledgling company should have the same chance to succeed as established corporations, and access to a high school student's blog shouldn't be unfairly slowed down to make way for advertisers with more money.
— President Barack Obama
Internet providers should be required to treat all websites large and small, as well as all Internet traffic, equally. This is a no-brainer.
Under the net neutrality rules established in February 2015, telecom giants (i.e. AT&T, Comcast, Verizon, etc.) were classified as “common carriers” under Title II of the Communications Act, essentially making them public utilities much like water and electricity companies. As such, these Internet service providers could not discriminate against how broadband was used, could not block or slow websites or apps based on the (legal) nature of their content, and prevented them from offering preferential treatment to certain users/content over their lines (or, creating a “fast lane” and “slow lane” for Internet users). This guaranteed a neutral Internet that ensured fair play, strengthened consumer choice, and protected start-up companies that could not necessarily afford fast-line access.
In December 2017, under the Trump administration, the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) chairman, Ajit Pai, repealed the rules established in 2015. This is incredibly dangerous and must be reversed back ASAP.