net neutrality

noun

: the idea, principle, or requirement that Internet service providers should or must treat all Internet data as the same regardless of its kind, source, or destination

… a philosophical contest that's being fought under the banner of "net neutrality," a slogan that inspires rhetorical devotion but eludes precise definition. Broadly, it means everything on the Internet should be equally accessible—that the Internet should be a place where great ideas compete on equal terms with big money.

—Sarah Rabil

Examples of net neutrality in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Before Net Neutrality, There Was Radio Regulation Before today's fight over net neutrality, the US government debated commercial profitability & popular access in the context of a different medium: radio. —JSTOR Daily, 24 June 2024

Industry groups opposing the reinstatement of net neutrality rules claim the FCC acted beyond its authority and that the shift will deter private investment in broadband infrastructure. —Jessica Melugin, Washington Examiner - Political News and Conservative Analysis About Congress, the President, and the Federal Government, 14 June 2024

Despite the Trump-era repeal, many ISPs still have to follow net neutrality rules because of regulations imposed by California and other states. —Jon Brodkin, Ars Technica, 4 June 2024

The 3-2 vote along political party lines restores something called net neutrality – a policy that ensures your internet service provider doesn’t block or slow legal traffic, or charge more to deliver some content more quickly. —Betty Lin-Fisher, USA TODAY, 26 Apr. 2024

Word History

First Known Use

2003, in the meaning defined above