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

Example Sentences

Recent Examples on the Web

The order is akin to net neutrality for railroads. —Paul Gessing, National Review, 23 Sep. 2021

Other relevant orders call for the restoration of net neutrality and applying more scrutiny to corporate mergers, which may prevent a tech giant from swallowing up the next WhatsApp or Slack, formerly insurgent chat/social media platforms that were absorbed by Facebook and Salesforce. —Jacob Silverman, The New Republic, 9 July 2021

In his description of how tech companies enact discriminatory pricing, Lynn reflects on the principles behind common carrier rules, the end of net neutrality, the rise of tech monopolization, and the future of our democracy under these troubled circumstances. —Barry C. Lynn, Harper’s Magazine , 18 Sep. 2020

According to Bloomberg Law, Democrats plan to reinstate net neutrality and expand broadband subsidies. —Makena Kelly, The Verge, 21 Jan. 2021

Despite having a largely Republican legislature, as governor Bullock has expanded Medicaid, frozen college tuition, protected net neutrality, and passed laws to protect the LGBTQ+ community. —Renae Reints, Fortune, 8 Apr. 2019

This device-agnostic coordination is similar to net neutrality in data communications. —IEEE Spectrum, 29 Jan. 2022

Today, African countries lack specific laws on net neutrality, unlike European countries which have advanced legislation on net-neutrality. —Daniel Akinmade Emejulu, Quartz, 5 Oct. 2021

California enacted its open-internet law in September 2018, months after the U.S. government under then-President Donald Trump eliminated national net neutrality protections. —Washington Post, 24 Feb. 2021

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Word History

First Known Use

2003, in the meaning defined above