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🏠 More Neutral Than Vanilla Ice Cream

🏠 More Neutral Than Vanilla Ice Cream

Neutralize that net

Stephen Flanders
October 11, 2023

Gm. T-minus one week until the Homescreen house party. If you haven’t signed up yet, what are you waiting for?

— Stephen Flanders

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🏠 POLICY

The Net Neutrality Debate, Remixed

One of the great internet debates of the 2010s is getting a remix. A debate that has so far spanned a decade, spawned mass protests, multiple federal agency reversals, and lawsuit after lawsuit. We’re talking about none other than the hyper-polarized yet ever-misunderstood net neutrality.

Net neutrality is the idea that internet service providers (ISPs) like Verizon and Comcast have to treat all traffic equally. Basically, it prevents ISPs from charging one company more for using the internet than they do any other company.

Like virtually every other issue in America, opinions on net neutrality are split on party lines. Most Republicans oppose the regulation, arguing that the stringent red tape on ISPs slows down internet innovation. Democrats, on the other hand, support net neutrality because they believe the internet has become critical infrastructure and should have some public oversight.

Because it’s so polarized, the rules for net neutrality go as the party in power goes:

In 2015, the Obama FCC passed the Open Internet Order, classifying broadband as an essential service and enshrining net neutrality.
The Trump FCC reversed that order in 2018 with the Restoring Internet Freedom Order.
And now the Biden FCC is set to reverse the Trump order.

If both parties go through so much effort to change the rules, then it must mean net neutrality is pretty consequential, right? Well, maybe. It definitely is framed that way, with proponents arguing that the internet would collapse without net neutrality and opponents arguing that it stymies investment and innovation. But the actual evidence for both is iffy at best, as the internet hasn’t imploded in the last 5 years and investment actually increased during net neutrality.

Ultimately, it looks to be a debate over ideology more than actual policy. One side believes the Internet should be regulated because it’s an essential service and essential services can’t be left in the hands of a few mega conglomerates, while the other side believes a truly free Internet means one free from the web of red tape. Actual impact on the world aside, this is the way things should be, so that’s what we’re going to fight for, damnit!

Regardless of how you see net neutrality, we can all agree on one thing: this won’t be the last we hear of it.

Never Ending: It will probably take an act of Congress to finally settle the net neutrality debate for good.

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