Net Neutrality 101 -- Why The Government Must Act To Preserve The Free And Open Internet

The American Civil Liberties Union says protecting the Internet against content discrimination by broadband carriers is crucial to protecting First Amendment rights in the age of modern technology.

The group is urging the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) to create strong policies that prevent Internet gatekeepers from exploiting their role for private gain. The report characterizes the need for "net neutrality" as a leading free speech issue of our time. The ACLU calls on the FCC to apply longstanding "common carrier" rules that would bar network owners from halting, slowing or otherwise tampering with the transfer of data to Internet users. Common carrier rules included by Congress in the Telecommunications Act of 1996 already apply to most forms of telecommunications but are not yet applied to broadband Internet service.