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Lesson 12 min 20 XP

Net Neutrality

The principle that internet service providers should treat all traffic equally, and the global battle over who controls access.

The Equal Treatment Principle

Net neutrality is the principle that internet service providers (ISPs) should treat all data on the internet equally, without discriminating based on source, destination, or content. Under a neutral internet, an ISP cannot slow down a competitor's streaming service, charge extra for access to certain websites, or block content it dislikes. The concept was coined by Columbia law professor Tim Wu in 2003, drawing on common carrier principles from telecommunications law.

The argument for net neutrality is that it preserves the internet's role as an open platform for innovation and expression. Without it, ISPs could become gatekeepers, favoring their own content or that of companies willing to pay, while relegating smaller creators and startups to a slow lane. Every major internet company today, from Google to Netflix, grew on a neutral internet where they competed on the quality of their product, not their relationship with ISPs.