A victory for net neutrality: Why the Internet is an essential public utility

[Commentary] The verdict is in: The Internet is not a luxury. Broadband is an essential public utility, and must be equally accessible to everyone.Yesterday, the US Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit ruled decisively to uphold the Federal Communications Commission’s net neutrality rules, which require Internet service providers to treat all web traffic equally—preventing them from blocking or slowing some traffic and offering preferential treatment to sites that pay for faster service.Net neutrality is essential because it maintains the Internet as an open platform for free expression, political engagement, education, and economic opportunity.

As The New York Times explained in an op-ed, “The decision helps to ensure a level playing field for smaller- and start-up Internet businesses because it precludes larger, established companies like Amazon and Netflix from simply paying broadband companies for faster delivery. Equally important, it ensures reliable service and choice for consumers by acknowledging that the Internet, now a requisite of modern life, is akin to a utility, subject to regulation in the public interest.”