The New Net Neutrality Rules | The New York Times

The Federal Communications Commission is to take a more active role in regulating the Internet as a public utility, which is expected to provoke court cases from major broadband providers.

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The New Net Neutrality Rules | The New York Times
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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.