May 9, 2018 4:30 PM

A Brief History of Net Neutrality

A timeline of the back-and-forth struggle for control of the internet.

01
The term "network neutrality" was first coined in a 2003 paper, reflecting a battle that was just beginning to brew. With numerous websites adorning their pages with “red alerts” today urging people to tell their representatives to save net neutrality, here’s a look back at how we got here.
02
Early 2000s
Internet providers ban some customers from using virtual private networks (VPNs)—or even setting up their own Wi-Fi routers—helping inspire the net neutrality movement.

03
2005
The FCC fines North Carolina service provider Madison River and orders it to stop blocking phone calls over the internet— marking one of the first efforts to enforce net neutrality rules.
04
2008
The FCC orders Comcast to stop throttling BitTorrent connections on its network. Comcast denies throttling, but sues the FCC, successfully arguing that Comcast could slow down connections if it wanted to.

05
2009
Apple is caught blocking iPhone users from making Skype calls at the request of AT&T. The companies eventually relent under pressure from the FCC.
06
2015
The FCC passes its sweeping net neutrality order, preventing the blocking or prioritizing of any internet traffic.

07
2017
But just two years later, the FCC votes to jettison its previous order, freeing broadband providers to block or throttle content as they see fit.

Klint Finley is a contributing writer for WIRED covering tech policy, software development, cloud computing, and more. ... Read More

Contributor

TopicsAMP Stories

The WIRED Guide to Net Neutrality

ISPs shouldn't be able to block some sorts of data and prioritize others—here's what to know about the struggle to treat information on the internet the same.

Klint Finley

'Red Alert' Is a Last-Ditch Effort to Save Net Neutrality

On Wednesday, sites including Etsy and Reddit will urge users to support a vote to preserve net neutrality rules.

Klint Finley

As Protection Ends, Here’s One Way to Test for Net Neutrality

Some states plan to uphold net neutrality principles. How will they know if telecom companies are obeying their own promises?

Klint Finley

Here's How Ending Net Neutrality Will Change the Internet

The FCC move to eliminate net-neutrality rules opens the door to preferential deals for some content providers, closed doors for others.

Klint Finley

Senate Democrats Have a Plan to Save Net Neutrality

Opinion: Congress can prevent the FCC from ending net neutrality, argues senator Chuck Schumer.

Charles E. Schumer

Even the Internet’s Favorite Pool Guy Doesn’t Know How to Fix the Reflecting Pool

Algae blooms, peeling paint, and a host of fixes from hydrogen peroxide to nanobubblers have made it hard to diagnose what’s wrong with the Reflecting Pool—let alone how to clean up the mess.

Molly Taft

A Guided Tour of Donald Trump’s Renovated Washington, DC

Trump has remade the nation’s capitol in his own image. Ahead of the Fourth of July, WIRED guides you through the dizzying effects of DC’s makeover.

Hugo Lowell

Paramount Refused to Air an Ad Criticizing Its Merger With Warner Bros.

The commercial was submitted by the Freedom of the Press Foundation to run during Donald Trump’s UFC event. It criticized the $111 billion merger as a threat to the First Amendment.

Miles Klee