Editing Net neutrality (section)

==By country==
{{Main|Net neutrality by country}}
Net neutrality is administered on a national or regional basis, though much of the world's focus has been on the conflict over [[net neutrality in the United States]]. Net neutrality in the US has been a topic since the early 1990s, as they were one of the world leaders in providing online services. However, they face the same problems as the rest of the world.

In 2019, the Save the Internet Act to "guarantee broadband internet users equal access to online content" was passed by the US House of Representatives<ref>{{Cite news |last=Kang |first=Cecilia |date=10 April 2019 |title=Net Neutrality Vote Passes House, Fulfilling Promise by Democrats |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2019/04/10/technology/net-neutrality-vote.html |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201023010105/https://www.nytimes.com/2019/04/10/technology/net-neutrality-vote.html |archive-date=23 October 2020 |access-date=19 October 2020 |newspaper=[[The New York Times]]}}</ref> but not by the US Senate. Finding an appropriate solution by creating more regulations for ISPs has been a major work in progress. Net neutrality rules were repealed in the US in 2017 during the Trump administration and subsequent appeals upheld the ruling,<ref>{{Cite news |last=Shepardson |first=David |date=27 October 2020 |title=U.S. FCC votes to maintain 2017 repeal of net neutrality rules |url=https://www.reuters.com/article/us-usa-internet/u-s-fcc-votes-to-maintain-2017-repeal-of-net-neutrality-rules-idUSKBN27C2EO |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211029175702/https://www.reuters.com/article/us-usa-internet/u-s-fcc-votes-to-maintain-2017-repeal-of-net-neutrality-rules-idUSKBN27C2EO |archive-date=29 October 2021 |access-date=12 October 2021 |newspaper=[[Reuters]]}}</ref> until the FCC voted to reinstate them in 2024.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Kang |first=Cecilia |date=25 April 2024 |title=F.C.C. Votes to Restore Net Neutrality Rules |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2024/04/25/technology/fcc-net-neutrality-open-internet.html |url-status=bot: unknown |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240425175315/https://www.nytimes.com/2024/04/25/technology/fcc-net-neutrality-open-internet.html |archive-date=25 April 2024 |access-date=25 April 2024 |newspaper=[[The New York Times]] }}</ref> In 2025, on January 2nd, however, "a US appeals court on Thursday ruled the Federal Communications Commission did not have the legal authority to reinstate landmark net neutrality rules."<ref>{{Cite news |author=<!-- not stated --> |agency=[[Reuters]] |work=[[New York Post]] |date=2 January 2025 |title=Biden admin net neutrality rules blocked by appeals court |url=https://nypost.com/2025/01/02/business/biden-admin-net-neutrality-rules-blocked-by-appeals-court/ |access-date=2 January 2025 |language=en-US}}</ref>

Governments of countries that comment on net neutrality usually support the concept.<ref>{{cite journal |last1=Garrett |first1=Thiago |last2=Setenareski |first2=Ligia E. |last3=Peres |first3=Leticia M. |last4=Bona |first4=Luis C. E. |last5=Duarte Jr |first5=Elias P. |title=A survey of Network Neutrality regulations worldwide |journal=Computer Law & Security Review |date=1 April 2022 |volume=44 |pages=105654 |doi=10.1016/j.clsr.2022.105654|s2cid=246619255 |doi-access=free |hdl=10852/101635 |hdl-access=free }}</ref>

===United States===
{{Main|Net neutrality in the United States}}
Net neutrality in the United States has been a point of conflict between network users and service providers since the 1990s. Much of the conflict over net neutrality arises from how Internet services are classified by the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) under the authority of the [[Communications Act of 1934]]. The FCC would have significant ability to regulate ISPs should Internet services be treated as a Title II "[[common carrier]] service", or otherwise the ISPs would be mostly unrestricted by the FCC if Internet services fell under Title I "information services". In 2009, the United States Congress passed the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act 2009, which granted a stimulus of $2.88&nbsp;billion for extending broadband services into certain areas of the United States. It was intended to make the internet more accessible for under-served areas, and aspects of net neutrality and open access were written into the grant. However, the bill never set any significant precedents for net neutrality or influenced future legislation relating to net neutrality.<ref>{{Cite journal|last=Daniels|first=Lesley-Ann|date=8 April 2016|title=Tras el velo del antiterrorismo|journal=Revista CIDOB d'Afers Internacionals|issue=112|pages=255–257|doi=10.24241/rcai.2016.112.1.255|issn=1133-6595|doi-access=free}}</ref> Until 2017, the FCC had generally been favorable towards net neutrality, treating ISPs under Title II common carrier. With the onset of the [[First presidency of Donald Trump|Presidency of Donald Trump]] in 2017, and the appointment of [[Ajit Pai]], an opponent of net neutrality, to the chairman of the FCC, the FCC has reversed many previous net neutrality rulings and reclassified Internet services as Title I information services.<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.reuters.com/article/us-usa-internet/u-s-net-neutrality-rules-will-end-on-june-11-fcc-idUSKBN1IB1UN|title=U.S. 'net neutrality' rules will expire on June 11: FCC|first=David|last=Shepardson|work=[[Reuters]]|date=10 May 2018|access-date=9 August 2018|archive-date=9 August 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180809184255/https://www.reuters.com/article/us-usa-internet/u-s-net-neutrality-rules-will-end-on-june-11-fcc-idUSKBN1IB1UN|url-status=live}}</ref> The FCC's decisions have been a matter of several ongoing legal challenges by both states supporting net neutrality, and ISPs challenging it. The United States Congress has attempted to pass legislation supporting net neutrality but has failed to gain sufficient support. In 2018, a bill cleared the U.S. Senate, with Republicans [[Lisa Murkowski]], [[John Kennedy (Louisiana politician)|John Kennedy]], and [[Susan Collins]] joining all 49 Democrats but the House majority denied the bill a hearing.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.wired.com/story/senate-approves-measure-to-save-net-neutrality/|title=Senate votes to save net neutrality but hurdles remain|last1=Finley|first1=Klint|date=6 May 2018|access-date=2 June 2019|work=Wired.com|archive-date=3 June 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190603155855/https://www.wired.com/story/senate-approves-measure-to-save-net-neutrality/|url-status=live}}</ref> Individual states have been trying to pass legislation to make net neutrality a requirement within their state, overriding the FCC's decision. California has successfully passed its own [[California Internet Consumer Protection and Net Neutrality Act of 2018|net neutrality act]], which the United States Department of Justice challenged on a legal basis.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2018/09/30/technology/net-neutrality-california.html|title=Justice Department Sues to Stop California Net Neutrality Law|last1=Kang|first1=Cecilia|date=30 September 2018|access-date=25 June 2019|work=[[The New York Times]]|archive-date=25 July 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190725142758/https://www.nytimes.com/2018/09/30/technology/net-neutrality-california.html|url-status=live}}</ref> On 8 February 2021, the U.S. Justice Department withdrew its challenge to California's data protection law. Federal Communications Commission Acting Chairwoman [[Jessica Rosenworcel]] voiced support for an open Internet and restoring net neutrality.<ref>{{Cite web|last=Veigle|first=Anne|date=8 February 2021|title=Statement from the Federal Communication Commission|url=https://docs.fcc.gov/public/attachments/DOC-369799A1.pdf|website=FCC.gov|access-date=12 February 2021|archive-date=8 February 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210208205500/https://docs.fcc.gov/public/attachments/DOC-369799A1.pdf|url-status=live}}</ref> Vermont, Colorado, and Washington, among other states, have also enacted net neutrality. <ref>{{cite web|title= Net neutrality: responses by state|url=https://ballotpedia.org/Net_neutrality_responses_by_state#:~:text=Colorado:%20On%20May%2017%2C%202019,received%20for%20rural%20broadband%20initiatives}}</ref>

On 19 October 2023, the FCC voted 3–2 to approve a Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (NPRM) that seeks comments on a plan to restore net neutrality rules and regulation of Internet service providers.<ref name="fcc-oct-2023">{{cite news |last1=Brodkin |first1=John |title=FCC moves ahead with Title II net neutrality rules in 3-2 party-line vote |url=https://arstechnica.com/tech-policy/2023/10/fcc-moves-ahead-with-title-ii-net-neutrality-rules-in-3-2-party-line-vote/ |access-date=19 October 2023 |work=Ars Technica |date=19 October 2023}}</ref> On 25 April 2024, the FCC voted 3–2 to reinstate net neutrality in the United States by reclassifying the Internet under Title II.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Kang |first=Cecilia |date=25 April 2024 |title=F.C.C. Votes to Restore Net Neutrality Rules |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2024/04/25/technology/fcc-net-neutrality-open-internet.html |access-date=2024-04-25 |work=The New York Times |language=en-US |issn=0362-4331}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |last1=Fung |first1=Brian |title=Net neutrality is back as FCC votes to regulate internet providers |work=CNN |publisher=CNN |date=25 April 2024 |url=https://edition.cnn.com/2024/04/25/tech/net-neutrality-is-back/index.html |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240712180127/https://edition.cnn.com/2024/04/25/tech/net-neutrality-is-back/index.html |archive-date=12 July 2024}}</ref> However, legal challenges immediately filed by ISPs resulted in an appeals court issuing an order that stays the net neutrality rules until the court makes a final ruling, while issuing the opinion that the ISPs will likely prevail over the FCC on the merits.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Brodkin |first=Jon |date=2024-08-05 |title=Court blocks net neutrality, says ISPs are likely to win case against FCC |url=https://arstechnica.com/tech-policy/2024/08/fcc-suffers-major-setback-in-attempt-to-defend-net-neutrality-rules/ |access-date=2024-10-23 |website=Ars Technica |language=en-US}}</ref>

On 2 January 2025, net neutrality rules, which disallow broadband providers from selectively interfering with Internet speeds depending on the accessed resource, were struck down by [[United States Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit|US Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit]] in ''MCP No. 185''.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Bowman |first=Emma |date=2025-01-03 |title=Net neutrality is struck, ending a long battle to regulate ISPs like public utilities |url=https://www.npr.org/2025/01/03/nx-s1-5247840/net-neutrality-fcc-struck |access-date=2025-04-15 |work=NPR |language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=In re MCP No. 185: FCC, No. 24-7000 (6th Cir. 2025) |url=https://law.justia.com/cases/federal/appellate-courts/ca6/24-7000/24-7000-2025-01-02.html |access-date=2025-04-16 |website=Justia Law |language=en}}</ref>

Federal law shows that broadband must be classified as an "information service" and not the more heavily-regulated "telecommunications service" the FCC said it was when it adopted the rules in April 2024, a three-judge panel for the US Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit ruled. The FCC lacked the authority to impose its rules on the broadband providers, the court said.<ref name=":0">{{Cite news |last=Heisig |first=Eric |date=January 2, 2025 |title=FCC’s Net Neutrality Rules Struck Down by Sixth Circuit (3) |url=https://news.bloomberglaw.com/litigation/fccs-net-neutrality-rules-struck-down-by-sixth-circuit |access-date=April 16, 2025 |work=[[Bloomberg News]]}}</ref>

According to [[Bloomberg News]], the Sixth Circuit's ruling is "one of the highest-profile examples" so far of an appeals court exercising the expanded authority following ''Loper Bright Enters. v. Raimondo'', which overturned a doctrine that had supported agency interpretations of ambiguous laws.  The court also rejected a similar FCC classification for mobile broadband providers.<ref name=":0" />

===Canada===
[[Net neutrality in Canada]] is a debated issue in that nation, but not to the degree of partisanship in other nations such as the United States in part because of its federal regulatory structure and pre-existing supportive laws that were enacted decades before the debate arose.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.cbc.ca/news/technology/us-canada-net-neutrality-party-politics-fcc-crtc-fight-1.4447558|title=Why Canada's net neutrality fight hasn't been as fierce as the one in the U.S.|last1=Braga|first1=Matthew|date=14 December 2017|access-date=15 December 2017|publisher=CBC|agency=CBC News|archive-date=14 December 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171214192948/http://www.cbc.ca/news/technology/us-canada-net-neutrality-party-politics-fcc-crtc-fight-1.4447558|url-status=live}}</ref> In Canada, ISPs generally provide Internet service in a neutral manner. Some notable incidents otherwise have included [[Bell Canada]]'s throttling of certain protocols and [[Telus Communications|Telus]]'s censorship of a specific website supporting striking union members.<ref>{{Cite news|date=24 July 2005|title=Telus cuts subscriber access to pro-union website|work=CBC News|url=https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/telus-cuts-subscriber-access-to-pro-union-website-1.531166|access-date=12 July 2021|archive-date=29 April 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210429065554/https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/telus-cuts-subscriber-access-to-pro-union-website-1.531166|url-status=live}}</ref> In the case with Bell Canada, the debate for net neutrality became a more popular topic when it was revealed that they were throttling traffic by limiting people's accessibility to view ''[[Canada's Next Great Prime Minister]]'', which eventually led to the Canadian Association of Internet Providers (CAIP) demanding the [[Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission|Canadian Radio-Television and Telecommunications Commission (CRTC)]] to take action on preventing the throttling of third-party traffic.<ref name=":3">{{Cite book|last=Anderson|first=Steve|title=Dynamic Fair Dealing|publisher=University of Toronto Press|year=2014|isbn=978-1-4426-6561-3|pages=133–143}}</ref> On 22 October 2009, the CRTC issued a ruling about Internet traffic management, which favored adopting guidelines that were suggested by interest groups such as [[OpenMedia.ca]] and the Open Internet Coalition. However, the guidelines set in place require citizens to file formal complaints proving that their Internet traffic is being throttled, and as a result, some ISPs still continue to throttle the Internet traffic of their users.<ref name=":3" />

===India===
{{Main|Net neutrality in India}}
In the year 2018, the [[Indian Government]] unanimously approved new regulations supporting net neutrality. The regulations are considered to be the "world's strongest" net neutrality rules, guaranteeing free and open Internet for nearly half a billion people,<ref>{{cite web|url=https://money.cnn.com/2018/07/12/technology/india-net-neutrality-rules-telecom/index.html|title=India now has the 'world's strongest' net neutrality rules|first=Rishi|last=Iyengar|website=cnn.com|date=12 July 2018|access-date=9 August 2018|archive-date=7 August 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180807220531/https://money.cnn.com/2018/07/12/technology/india-net-neutrality-rules-telecom/index.html|url-status=live}}</ref> and are expected to help the culture of [[startups]] and innovation. The only exceptions to the rules are new and emerging services like [[autonomous driving]] and [[Telemedicine|tele-medicine]], which may require prioritized Internet lanes and faster than normal speeds.<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/business/india-business/internet-to-remain-free-and-fair-in-india-govt-approves-net-neutrality/articleshow/64948838.cms|title=Web stays equal for all as govt clears net neutrality|last=Doval|first=Pankaj|date=12 July 2018|work=The Times of India|access-date=31 August 2018|archive-date=11 September 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180911105458/https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/business/india-business/internet-to-remain-free-and-fair-in-india-govt-approves-net-neutrality/articleshow/64948838.cms|url-status=live}}</ref>

=== China ===
Net neutrality in China is not enforced, and ISPs in China play important roles in regulating the content that is available domestically on the Internet. There are several ISPs filtering and blocking content at the national level, preventing domestic Internet users from accessing certain sites or services or foreign Internet users from gaining access to domestic web content. This filtering technology is referred to as the [[Great Firewall]], or GFW.<ref name=":1">{{Cite journal|last=Hu|first=Henry L.|date=2011|title=The Political Economy of Governing ISPs in China: Perspectives of Net Neutrality and Vertical Integration|journal=The China Quarterly|volume=207|issue=207|pages=523–540|doi=10.1017/S0305741011000634|jstor=41305255|s2cid=143429384|issn=0305-7410}}</ref>

In an article published by the Cambridge University Press, they observed the political environment with net neutrality in China. Chinese ISPs have become a way for the country to control and restrict information rather than providing neutral Internet content for those who use the Internet.<ref>{{cite journal |last1=Cambridge |title=The Political Economy of Governing ISPs in China |journal=The China Quarterly |date=September 2011 |volume=207 |pages=523–540 |doi=10.1017/S0305741011000634 |s2cid=143429384 |url=https://www.cambridge.org/core/journals/china-quarterly/article/abs/the-political-economy-of-governing-isps-in-china-perspectives-of-net-neutrality-and-vertical-integration/678FA3FEDDF28AE8B096CE9FC743B6F5 |access-date=8 March 2021 |archive-date=11 April 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220411002653/https://www.cambridge.org/core/journals/china-quarterly/article/abs/the-political-economy-of-governing-isps-in-china-perspectives-of-net-neutrality-and-vertical-integration/678FA3FEDDF28AE8B096CE9FC743B6F5 |url-status=live |url-access=subscription }}</ref>

=== Philippines ===
Net neutrality in the [[Philippines]] is not enforced. Mobile Internet providers like [[Globe Telecom]] and [[Smart Communications]] commonly offer data package promos tied to specific applications, games or websites like Facebook, [[Instagram]], and [[TikTok]].<ref name="netNeutralityBadlyNeededPhilippines">{{cite news |last1=Feria |first1=Rom |title=Net Neutrality Badly Needed in the Philippines |url=https://mb.com.ph/2018/09/05/net-neutrality-badly-needed-in-the-philippines/ |publisher=[[Manila Bulletin]] |date=5 September 2018 |access-date=25 May 2022 |archive-date=25 May 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220525174329/https://mb.com.ph/2018/09/05/net-neutrality-badly-needed-in-the-philippines/ |url-status=live }}</ref><ref name="globeGoSURF">{{cite web |title=GoSURF |url=https://www.globe.com.ph/prepaid/gosurf.html |website=[[Globe Telecommunications]] |access-date=26 May 2022 |archive-date=18 May 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220518194727/https://www.globe.com.ph/prepaid/gosurf.html |url-status=live }}</ref><ref name="smartPrepaidPromos">{{cite web |title=Prepaid Promos |url=https://smart.com.ph/Prepaid/promos |website=[[Smart Communications]] |access-date=26 May 2022 |archive-date=27 May 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220527161806/https://smart.com.ph/prepaid/promos/ |url-status=live }}</ref>

In the mid-2010s, Philippine telcos came under fire from the [[Department of Justice (Philippines)|Department of Justice]] for throttling the bandwidth of subscribers of unlimited data plans if the subscribers exceeded arbitrary data caps imposed by the telcos under a supposed "fair use policy" on their "unlimited" plans.<ref name="phThrottlingUnlimited">{{cite news |last1=Balea |first1=Jum |title=Philippine gov't warns telcos of penalties for throttling 'unlimited' data users |url=https://www.techinasia.com/philippines-telcos-smart-globe-penalties-data-cap |publisher=[[Tech in Asia]] |date=12 December 2014 |access-date=25 May 2022 |archive-date=25 May 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220525174258/https://www.techinasia.com/philippines-telcos-smart-globe-penalties-data-cap |url-status=live }}</ref> Certain adult sites like [[Pornhub]], [[Redtube]], and [[XTube]] have also been blocked by some Philippine ISPs at the request of the [[Philippine National Police]] to the [[National Telecommunications Commission]], even without the necessary court orders required by the [[Supreme Court of the Philippines]].<ref name="phBlockAdultSites">{{cite news |last1=de Santos |first1=Jonathan |title=Civil rights group: Blocking adult sites may have been illegal |url=https://www.philstar.com/headlines/2017/02/01/1668028/civil-rights-group-blocking-adult-sites-may-have-been-illegal |publisher=[[The Philippine Star]] |date=1 February 2017 |access-date=25 May 2022 |archive-date=25 May 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220525174328/https://www.philstar.com/headlines/2017/02/01/1668028/civil-rights-group-blocking-adult-sites-may-have-been-illegal |url-status=live }}</ref>