February 26, 2015
FCC adopts Open Internet net neutrality rules
The U.S. Federal Communications Commission voted 3–2 on February 26, 2015 to classify broadband as a Title II utility — banning paid prioritization, blocking, and throttling of lawful internet traffic.
What it was for
The 2015 Open Internet Order treated ISPs like common carriers, protecting startups from having to pay cable companies for fast lanes. Video streaming, VoIP, and cloud SaaSSoftware as a Service — applications delivered over the internet on a subscription basis. depended on neutral pipes; the rules became a political football repealed in 2017 and debated again through the 2020s.
Why it's here
The 2015 rules were the strongest U.S. net neutrality protections developers had seen.
Why it mattered
They prevented ISPs from charging platforms for priority delivery of bits.
What it solved
Without rules, ISPs could throttle competing video or charge CDNs for faster last-mile delivery.
Media
- ImageFederal Communications Commission
Umasankar Arumugam, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons
Related
- FCC votes to repeal net neutrality rulesDecember 14, 2017
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