Here's what the Federal
Communication Commission's
New Net Neutrality Rules
do.
They reclassify high
speed internet
as a public utility.
The goal is to ensure
an open and equal internet
for all content,
otherwise known
as net neutrality.
When you download content
from the internet
it arrives in packets
of data.
Think of the packets
as little old packages.
Let's say you want to
watch a Netflix movie,
which is ten packages big.
You order, Netflix ships,
but first it has to go
through a sorting facility.
In this analogy,
that's an internet
service provider,
like Verizon or Comcast.
Now what net neutrality
means is that all packages
must be delivered
at the same rate,
and the FCC rules
are in place to make
sure that happens.
But here's the tricky part,
the FCC is going
to decide on a case
by case basis
which tactics can be used
to send data packages
and which can't.
That moves the Agency
into a more active role,
one that is widely
expected to
be challenged in court
by broadband providers
like Comcast and Verizon.