net neutrality

noun

Definition of net neutrality

: 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

Examples of net neutrality in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

The death of net neutrality will make wireless devices particularly vulnerable. — Karl Bode, The Verge, "How the new AT&T could bully its way to streaming domination," 18 Dec. 2018 Democratic attorneys general from across the country have joined hundreds of legal actions challenging the administration’s actions on everything from DACA and the travel ban to net neutrality. — refinery29.com, "Tatewin Means Wants To Be The First Native American Woman Attorney General," 30 Apr. 2018 Heavy-handed tactics like throttling and usage caps would have been blocked by the 2015 net neutrality rules. — Karl Bode, The Verge, "How the new AT&T could bully its way to streaming domination," 18 Dec. 2018 Coincidentally, CenturyLink's blocking of customer Internet access occurred days before the one-year anniversary of the Federal Communications Commission repeal of net neutrality rules, which prohibited blocking and throttling of Internet access. — Jon Brodkin, Ars Technica, "CenturyLink blocked its customers’ Internet access in order to show an ad," 17 Dec. 2018 There, both Trump’s FCC chair, Ajit Pai, and current Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh have taken the position that the First Amendment prohibits the government from enforcing net neutrality rules. — Emily Stewart, Vox, "Trump keeps complaining about bias on Twitter — but what can he do about it? 8 experts weigh in.," 23 Aug. 2018 The legal battle over net neutrality will continue and could potentially reach the Supreme Court again in a separate case. — Jon Brodkin, Ars Technica, "Supreme Court rejects industry challenge of 2015 net neutrality rules," 5 Nov. 2018 The fight over net neutrality has prompted strong responses on both sides of the issue. — Jon Porter, The Verge, "Trump administration sues California over tough net neutrality law," 1 Oct. 2018 The fight over net neutrality has become a rallying cry for Democrats since the FCC, led by Trump appointee Ajit Pai, last year did away with the 2015 rules governing internet service providers. — John D. Mckinnon, WSJ, "California Advances Net-Neutrality Rules in Rebuke to Trump FCC," 30 Aug. 2018

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'net neutrality.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.