The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) will vote on Thursday to repeal net neutrality in a highly controversial move that could change the online landscape fundamentally. Net neutrality is a set of rules adopted by the FCC under the Obama administration in 2015, preventing internet service providers from blocking, throttling or prioritizing certain content on the internet.
While the FCC argues that scrapping net neutrality rules would “restore internet freedom” and boost investments and innovation, advocates of the current rules argue that scrapping them would stifle competition and further increase concentration in the online media landscape.
As our chart, based on a poll conducted by Morning Consult and Politico, illustrates, Americans are surprisingly united in their support of current net neutrality rules. 52 percent of all registered voters support the 2015 regulation while only 18 percent think it should be repealed. Similar numbers can be observed across all political camps, which according to most experts won’t stop the Republican-controlled Commission from voting against net neutrality on Thursday.
A Rare Occurrence: Bipartisan Support For Net Neutrality
This chart shows what Americans think about the net neutrality rules that were put in place by the FCC in 2015.
Dec 14, 2017