The FCC has announced that it will vote on a proposal to restore net neutrality on April 25. If approved, it will "restore national standards for broadband reliability, security, and consumer protection."

Back in 2017, we explained why net neutrality is important and why we think PC gamers should support it, but the basic facts remain the same today. Simply put, net neutrality requires that all data be treated equally and prohibits ISPs from limiting speeds or blocking access to content based on the nature of the content delivered.In 2015, under the Open Internet Order by the Obama administration It was enshrined in U.S. law, but dismantled by the Trump administration just a few years later.

It was not a popular move. The vote to repeal the regulations was a bi-partisan one, with three Republicans in favor, two Democrats opposed, and significant opposition from the public, the ACLU, the EFF, and even groups such as Google In 2021, U.S. President Biden's Executive Order began efforts to reinstate the regulations, and in September 2023, the full-scale process was initiated.

"The pandemic proved once and for all that broadband is essential," said FCC Chair Jessica Rosenworcel in announcing the upcoming vote.

"After the previous administration abandoned its authority over broadband services, the FCC is handcuffed from acting to fully protect broadband networks, safeguard consumer data, and ensure that the Internet remains fast, open, and fair.

"By returning to the net neutrality standards that the FCC has overwhelmingly endorsed and courts have approved, the FCC can once again serve as a strong consumer advocate for an open Internet.

The ACLU praised the effort, saying it was "thrilled that the FCC is moving closer to restoring essential net neutrality rules," but there was considerable pushback from some conservative-oriented watchdog groups and think tanks. [For example, the Foundation for American Innovation said the FCC "appears poised to impose Title II rules on broadband providers that will increase ISP compliance costs and drive up the price of network deployment." Citizens Against Government Waste issued a statement saying that reinstating net neutrality regulations would "stifle innovation, reduce investment in next-generation technologies, and make it more difficult for businesses, families, and students to get online."

However, by adopting the proposal, the FCC would be able to monitor broadband failures, strengthen broadband network security and consumer protections, and reinstate "widely accepted national standards" - after deregulation, U.S. states including California, New Jersey, and Oregon several states have adopted their own net neutrality regulations - and said it would prevent Internet providers from "blocking, slowing down, or creating pay-as-you-go Internet fast lanes."

Like the vote to repeal net neutrality, the vote to reinstate net neutrality is likely to be a bi-partisan affair. However, given the 3-2 Democratic advantage this time around, and given that three Democrats voted in favor of moving the process forward to October 2023, it is a fair bet that a vote to reinstate the regulation would have the same outcome. But who knows how long that will last, and whether it will be a story of imminent dismantling of the net neutrality rules when Republicans regain control of the FCC in the future.