Everything You Need to Know About Net Neutrality

Most Americans take it for granted that the companies they pay for Internet service treat all websites more or less the same. Google loads about as fast as Yahoo! Videos streaming from Netflix play as clearly as those on Amazon.com or Hulu. Going online, in other words, is like using the phone: Everyone’s calls go through at the same speed.

It may not be that way forever. In January, a federal appeals court found that the Federal Communications Commission didn’t have the power to enforce rules enacted in 2010 that stopped Internet service providers such as Verizon from playing favorites among companies that send data over broadband networks. Playing favorites violates the principle widely referred to as “net neutrality.”