Court rules in favor of net neutrality

Default avatar.
June 16, 2016
Court rules in favor of net neutrality.
Yesterday a federal court in the US ruled that the Internet must be treated as a utility, not a luxury. The court, specifically the United States Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit, has reaffirmed the notion that Internet access is essential. Anyone who’s been following the legal battle between Internet service providers and the FCC knows what this means. For anyone who hasn’t been paying attention, it means that the FCC gets to tell ISPs how they should operate. This government regulation means that all data on the Internet must be given equal priority. If this ever changes, companies like Comcast and Time Warner will be able to make website owners pay for faster access to their customers (who are also paying for Internet access in the first place). Basically, larger companies with more money will be able to pay for their sites to load faster, and smaller websites will eat digital dust. [pullquote]consumers and tech giants alike have rallied behind the FCC to keep net neutrality alive[/pullquote] This would also enable ISPs to slow down large content sites like Hulu and Netflix in order to favor their own video streaming services. Naturally, consumers and tech giants alike have rallied behind the FCC to keep net neutrality alive. Some of you will remember that last year, the FCC created some new rules to enforce net neutrality, this equal treatment of all data. Even before that, ISPs in the US have been challenging the FCC’s authority, hoping to gain more autonomy. The new rules have made them redouble their legal efforts, however. They claim that the new rules will discourage competition in the broadband industry, and fear that the FCC will impose regulations on the rates that they are allowed to charge. While the FCC has promised not to, many remain unconvinced. It’s likely that this case will be taken all the way to the Supreme Court, so we’re not out of the woods yet. It could be debated for another decade. But hey, getting those new Marvel series online is totally worth it.

Ezequiel Bruni

Ezequiel Bruni is a web/UX designer, blogger, and aspiring photographer living in Mexico. When he’s not up to his finely-chiselled ears in wire-frames and front-end code, or ranting about the same, he indulges in beer, pizza, fantasy novels, and stand-up comedy.

Read Next

15 Best New Fonts, July 2024

Welcome to our monthly roundup of the best fonts we’ve found online in the last four weeks. This month, there are fewer…

20 Best New Websites, July 2024

Welcome to July’s round up of websites to inspire you. This month’s collection ranges from the most stripped-back…

Top 7 WordPress Plugins for 2024: Enhance Your Site's Performance

WordPress is a hands-down favorite of website designers and developers. Renowned for its flexibility and ease of use,…

Exciting New Tools for Designers, July 2024

Welcome to this July’s collection of tools, gathered from around the web over the past month. We hope you’ll find…

3 Essential Design Trends, July 2024

Add some summer sizzle to your design projects with trendy website elements. Learn what's trending and how to use these…

15 Best New Fonts, June 2024

Welcome to our roundup of the best new fonts we’ve found online in the last month. This month, there are notably fewer…

20 Best New Websites, June 2024

Arranging content in an easily accessible way is the backbone of any user-friendly website. A good website will present…

Exciting New Tools for Designers, June 2024

In this month’s roundup of the best tools for web designers and developers, we’ll explore a range of new and noteworthy…

3 Essential Design Trends, June 2024

Summer is off to a fun start with some highly dramatic website design trends showing up in projects. Let's dive in!

15 Best New Fonts, May 2024

In this month’s edition, there are lots of historically-inspired typefaces, more of the growing trend for French…

How to Reduce The Carbon Footprint of Your Website

On average, a web page produces 4.61 grams of CO2 for every page view; for whole sites, that amounts to hundreds of KG…

20 Best New Websites, May 2024

Welcome to May’s compilation of the best sites on the web. This month we’re focused on color for younger humans,…