Like a telecommunications policy-focused Justin Timberlake, the FCC is bringing net neutrality back

Five years after the elimination of net neutrality regulations in the US, FCC chairwoman Juliana Rosenworcel has begun the process of bringing them back, saying that restoring the FCC’s authority over broadband service in the US is needed to ensure the internet “is not only open, but fast and fair, safe and secure.”

The concept of net neutrality was introduced in the early 2000s, and is pretty simple in the broad strokes: It essentially requires that all data be treated equally, and forbids ISPs from throttling speeds or blocking access based on the content being delivered. The Open Internet Order, enacted in 2015 during the Obama administration, enshrined that concept into law, but in 2017, under President Trump, the FCC voted to dismantle the regulations.