Led by Chairman Ajit Pai, the Federal Communications Commission rolled back the 2015 Open Internet Order, which had barred broadband providers from blocking, throttling, or charging for prioritized access to online content. The decision followed a record 22 million public comments, many later found to be fraudulent, and ignited fierce lobbying from telecom companies and advocacy groups alike. Supporters argued it would spur infrastructure investment; critics warned it would let ISPs favor their own content and services.
Net neutrality had been the internet's version of a civil rights debate for over a decade, pitting broadband giants like Comcast and Verizon against a coalition of tech companies, activists, and ordinary users who feared a two-tiered internet where money bought speed and access. The Obama administration's FCC, under Chairman Tom Wheeler, had classified broadband as a public utility in 2015 specifically to give the rules legal teeth.
Ajit Pai, appointed chairman by President Trump, moved quickly to undo that framework, arguing that heavy-handed regulation discouraged investment in broadband infrastructure, particularly in rural areas. The public comment period exploded into chaos: bots and stolen identities generated millions of fake comments on both sides, later investigations found, undermining the FCC's own claim to have gauged genuine public sentiment.
The December 14, 2017 vote split along party lines, 3-2, with the two Democratic commissioners dissenting sharply. Pai's order not only repealed the rules but stripped the FCC of most authority to police broadband practices, handing oversight instead to the Federal Trade Commission. States like California later passed their own net neutrality laws, prompting years of legal battles, while the practical effects on everyday internet speeds and pricing remained hotly disputed by economists and consumer advocates alike.