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A Brief History of Net Neutrality

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