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

Rosenworcel and the agency’s two Democrats, Geoffrey Starks and Anna Gomez, voted earlier this year to reinstate net neutrality rules. —Ted Johnson, Deadline, 21 Nov. 2024

House Energy and Commerce Republicans spent Tuesday's FCC oversight hearing scrutinizing the agency's moves on net neutrality and broadband funding in light of recent Supreme Court rulings. —Maria Curi, Axios, 9 July 2024

Although ISPs were recently able to block the FCC's net neutrality rules, this week's petition shows the firms are worried about states stepping into the regulatory vacuum with various kinds of laws targeting broadband prices and practices. —Jon Brodkin, Ars Technica, 14 Aug. 2024

Experts predicted net neutrality would be ripe for disruption after Chevron’s downfall, and the judges’ opinion notes that prior courts that upheld net neutrality relied on Chevron. —Lauren Feiner, The Verge, 1 Aug. 2024

Word History

First Known Use

2003, in the meaning defined above