How the Net Neutrality Debate Affects Your Internet

Proponents of net neutrality protest against Federal Communication Commission

Chairman Ajit Pai outside the American Enterprise Institute before his arrival on May 5, 2017, in Washington, D.C. Credit: Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) voted last week to start dismantling 2015 rules that regulated internet service providers the same way as utilities. So what does that mean for your internet access? The answer to that question will take months to hash out. The debate swirls around two related issues: whether the internet is a public utility, and how (or if) to ensure a concept known as net neutrality. Net neutrality is the framework for an internet in which all data is treated equally. For example, a provider such as Comcast can't throttle back Netflix's streaming speeds because Netflix's video content competes with its cable offerings. Nor can a company block legal websites or apps, or require them to pay extra for a broadband boost. [6 Politicians Who Got the Science Wrong]        https://www.livescience.com/59200-how-net-neutrality-debate-affects-your-internet.html