WASHINGTON, July 14 — 2015. That is the figure that matters for net neutrality’s life as federal law in the United States. The Federal Communications Commission’s Open Internet Order, enacted that year under Chairman Tom Wheeler, codified the principle that internet service providers must treat all data equally.
The bottom line: net neutrality is the principle that ISPs treat all data equally. The 2015 order gave the FCC authority to enforce that standard.
Then, in 2017, the FCC under Chairman Ajit Pai voted to repeal the rule. That repeal took effect in 2018. By the numbers, the policy shift was sharp.
The 2015 order represented the first time the U.S. had a formal net neutrality framework at the federal level. The 2017 repeal removed those federal protections, leaving the landscape fragmented.
California passed its own net neutrality law in 2018, and several other states followed with their own actions. Investors will note that the debate is far from settled. As of 2024, net neutrality remains a live political issue.
The FCC’s flip-flop — from Wheeler’s 2015 order to Pai’s 2017 repeal — created regulatory uncertainty that has persisted for years. Companies that rely on equal access to consumers, from streaming services to startups, have watched the legal battles closely.
The Broader Internet Governance Picture
Net neutrality is one piece of a larger internet governance puzzle. The Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers, or ICANN, was founded in 1998. ICANN manages domain names and IP addresses — the basic addressing system of the internet.
That function is separate from net neutrality, but both involve questions of who controls access and standards online. The Internet Society, founded in 1992, advocates for an open internet.
It has been a consistent voice in the net neutrality debate, arguing that equal treatment of data is fundamental to the internet’s design. The United Nations has its own forum: the Internet Governance Forum, or IGF, which has met annually since 2006. The IGF brings together governments, the private sector, and civil society to discuss internet policy issues, including net neutrality.
What Comes Next
The future of net neutrality in the U.S. is tied to broader debates over internet regulation. Section 230 of the Communications Decency Act, passed in 1996, remains a flashpoint. That law shields online platforms from liability for user-generated content and gives them discretion to moderate content.
Some lawmakers want to reform or repeal it. Artificial intelligence regulation is also emerging as a major policy area.
AI systems rely on the same internet infrastructure that net neutrality rules govern. How data flows — whether it is treated equally or subject to ISP control — will affect how AI models are trained and deployed. The figure that matters for now: 2015 was the high-water mark for federal net neutrality protections.
Until Congress passes a permanent law or the FCC reasserts authority, the U.S. will likely remain in a state of regulatory flux. State-level actions, like California’s 2018 law, will continue to fill the gap.
Investors and companies should watch for the next FCC move — and for any congressional action on Section 230 or AI regulation — as the key signals for where internet governance heads next.
