Net neutrality why

Protect digital privacy and free expression. EFF's public interest legal work, activism, and software development preserve fundamental rights. To celebrate 30 years of defending online freedom, EFF held a candid live discussion with net neutrality pioneer and EFF board member Gigi Sohn, who served as Counselor to the Chairman of the Federal Communications Commission and co-founder of leading advocacy organization Public Knowledge.

Follow EFF: twitter facebook instagram youtube flicker rss. Press Press Contact. What to Know About 5G. Net Neutrality. Table of Contents Expand. What Is Net Neutrality? Understanding Net Neutrality. History of Net Neutrality. Pros and Cons of Net Neutrality. Example of Net Neutrality. Net Neutrality FAQs. The Bottom Line. Key Takeaways Net neutrality requires all internet service providers ISPs to provide the same level of data access and speed to all traffic, and that traffic to one service or website cannot be blocked or degraded.

Net neutrality also states that ISPs are not to create special arrangements with services or websites, in which companies providing them are given improved network access or speed. Net neutrality advocates suggest that by not allowing ISPs to determine the speed at which consumers can access specific websites or services, smaller companies will be more likely to enter the market and create new services. Net neutrality critics argue that by forcing ISPs to treat all traffic equally, the government will ultimately discourage the investment in new infrastructure and will also create a disincentive for ISPs to innovate.

Pros Reduces barriers to entry for smaller companies Prevents service providers from discriminating to gain a competitive edge Promotes free speech and the free flow of ideas.

Cons Discourages service providers from innovating Stifles growth by disallowing ISPs from charging tiered prices Blocks investments in new infrastructures.

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What is Section ? Section is a federal law that grants broad legal immunity to online publishers for content provided by third parties. In place of those restrictions, the new rules only require that internet service providers disclose information about their network-management practices. It will now be up to the Federal Trade Commission to protect consumers from alleged net neutrality violations.

Outright blocking a competitor may well be an antitrust violation, but creating fast lanes for companies that pay extra for special treatment might not be. The future of net neutrality is now in the hands of Congress, the courts, and the states. Twenty-one state attorneys general sued the FCC in January to block the new rules and restore the old ones; so did several consumer-advocacy groups. Several states have already passed such laws.

Washington became the first in March , and Oregon followed soon after. California passed one of the most comprehensive net neutrality laws of all, but the rules are currently on hold amidst a legal challenge from the federal government. Governors of Hawaii, Montana, New Jersey, New York, and Vermont have passed executive orders banning state agencies from doing business with broadband providers that don't uphold the principles of net neutrality. In the meantime, you can expect broadband providers to slowly take advantage of their new freedom.

But you can expect to see more of the practices that carriers already employ, like letting their own content bypass data limits. Enjoyed this deep dive? There is growing literature about the net neutrality concept. However, this concept is relevant in very few countries including the United States, the EU nations and some other developed countries. In countries where official censorship is dominant, net neutrality is not a hot topic simply because Internet users are not so sensitive about the potential for censorship by private companies as they have to face government censorship in the first place.

Nonetheless, as the internet penetration is growing fast in many parts of the world and the online space is becoming central to a broad array of types of communications and exchanges, understanding how this concept is respected in various nations is more important than ever. Research of how net neutrality is defined, how legislation covers this concept and how net neutrality related legal provisions are being enforced is in high demand.

We at the CDMS are launching a new line of research work focused on examining the existing legal provisions and regulations on net neutrality and their implementation in different countries.