FCC votes to bring net neutrality back from the dead

The FCC voted Thursday to restore America's net neutrality rules, nearly seven years after they were taken offline.

Earlier this month the watchdog confirmed its intention to vote on a proposal that would reinstate net neutrality, and that day has arrived. The vote came 3-2 along party lines.

Net neutrality, the idea that generally speaking all network traffic is treated equally, was codified in 2015 under President Obama's administration. President Trump's appointed FCC boss Ajit Pai overturned these rules in 2017.

The return of net neutrality may allay fears among some that ISPs will unfairly prioritize certain traffic for cash, whether it's web giants paying for preferential treatment of their packets over competitors, or broadband subscribers having to pay extra for non-hobbled access to things like news and media.

Net neutrality is supposed to stop that; its advocates say telcos ought to provide the same speed ...