What does the FCC's ruling against net neutrality mean for the average person?

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Jan 15, 2014

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What does the FCC's ruling against net neutrality mean for the average person?

A federal appeals court gave a mixed ruling on Internet access regulations yesterday. The DC Circuit Court affirmed that the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) has authority to create open-access rules.

This photo taken on January 7, 2010 shows a woman typing on the keyboard of her laptop computer in Beijing. China declared its Internet "open" on January 14 but defended censorship that has prompted Web giant Google to threaten to pull out of the country, sparking a potential new irritant in China-US relations. China employs a vast system of Web censorship dubbed the "Great Firewall of China" that blocks content such as political dissent, pornography and other information viewed as objectionable and the issue looks likely to shape up as the latest addition to a growing list of disputes between China and the United States over trade, climate change and human rights. AFP PHOTO / Frederic J. BROWN (Photo credit should read FREDERIC J. BROWN/AFP/Getty Images)

A federal appeals court gave a mixed ruling on Internet access regulations yesterday. The DC Circuit Court affirmed that the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) has authority to create open-access rules.

Yesterday, a federal appeals court struck down protections for net neutrality. The FCC had these rules in place to ensure the Internet was free and open, and all data is treated equally.

But with this ruling, it could affect what you see and watch at home. To explain, we're joined by Brooks Boliek, Politico's technology reporter.