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.