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  "description": "Repealing net neutrality was supposed to ruin the internet. Has it? ",
  "path": "/whatever-happened-to-net-neutrality/",
  "publishedAt": "2026-03-13T15:54:38.000Z",
  "site": "https://www.readtangle.com",
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    "__you__",
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    "****Sign up here****",
    "__2022 baby formula shortage__",
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  "textContent": "__I’m Isaac Saul, and this is Tangle. You are reading a preview of a members-only Friday edition. To read it in full,____you__ __’__ __ll be asked to subscribe__ __.__\n\n****Did someone forward you this email?********Sign up here********.****\n\n* * *\n\n_Dear readers,_\n\n_This is the third piece in an ongoing series we’ve dubbed “Whatever happened to…?”_\n\n _Modern news cycles routinely highlight emerging stories with warnings of dire consequences or large societal shifts, but just as often, those stories fade away without a clear conclusion or follow up. As part of Tangle’s efforts to model more constructive journalism, we’ve launched this series as a way to shed light on the big stories we’ve forgotten about and explore why the media’s initial coverage didn’t match up with the eventual outcome._\n\n_Our first two pieces covered the_ __2022 baby formula shortage__ _and the_ __2023 forecast of the Great Salt Lake’s imminent collapse__ _. Today, we’re covering the 2017 repeal of net neutrality._\n\n_As always, we’d love to hear what you think about this story and series — and your ideas for future installments._\n\n_— Will Kaback, Senior Editor_\n\n### “The end of the internet as we know it.”\n\nIn 2017, a ferocious debate broke out across the United States, spanning social media, print and television news, late-night comedy shows, and the halls of Congress. At stake, according to some, was the future of the internet. That future looked increasingly bleak as the year waned.\n\nThe fight centered on net neutrality, the idea that all internet traffic should be treated equally by internet service providers (ISPs). That means no blocking access to websites an ISP might not like, no intentionally slowing down sites, and no offering “fast lanes” to companies that could pay for them.\n\nUnder President Barack Obama, the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) reclassified broadband internet as a telecommunications service under the Communications Act of 1934 (amended in 1996), allowing the agency to enforce strict net neutrality rules. But in President Donald Trump’s first year in office, the FCC moved to repeal those rules, sparking impassioned pleas to save the internet.\n\nCNN ran a headline _proclaiming_ the “end of the internet as we know it.” Sen. Chuck Schumer (D-NY) _said_ losing net neutrality would “turn the internet into a toll road.” The Senate Democrats Twitter account published a _dramatically stylized post_ claiming, “If we don’t save net neutrality, you’ll get the internet one word at a time.” GQ’s Jack Moore _wrote_, “The FCC’s killing of net neutrality will ruin the internet forever.” HBO’s John Oliver _rallied_ his viewers to voice their support for net neutrality to the FCC. The leaders of the Black Women’s Health Imperative and National Hispanic Media Coalition _argued_, “Rolling back net neutrality would hurt minorities and low-income families.” Leaders at social media companies _Twitter_ and _Facebook_ released statements alluding to dire consequences if net neutrality went away. _Television shows_ and _actors_ and _musicians_ and _many, many others_ lent their voices to the cause. Collectively, the message was clear: Without net neutrality, the internet would be permanently and irreparably harmed, putting corporate profits ahead of free speech.\n\nIt wasn’t all doom and gloom. Tech writers like Ben Thompson (of Stratechery) _argued_ that repealing net neutrality rules was actually the best way to achieve a free and open internet. Conservative writers _welcomed_ the repeal, _questioned_ the alarmist rhetoric, or _called for_ Congress to settle the issue. Others, like Tangle’s very own Kmele Foster, _suggested_ the impact of repeal would be muted, possibly even beneficial. But these voices were largely drowned out by the frenzied warnings listed above.\n\nThe fight went down to the wire and then turned ugly. The FCC’s five commissioners gathered on December 14, 2017 to vote on rolling back the Obama-era rules, but the meeting was _abruptly evacuated_ due to a bomb threat. Days later, a man _sent three emails_ to FCC Chairman Ajit Pai threatening to kill him and his family and blaming Pai for the death of a child who allegedly killed themself in distress over net neutrality’s repeal. Ultimately, the commissioners voted 3–2 to repeal net neutrality protections, with the majority votes coming from Pai and two Republican commissioners.\n\nThis June will mark eight years since the repeal went into effect. At a surface level, the apocalyptic warnings of the internet’s demise seem not to have materialized. In fact, it’s hard to discern whether rolling back net neutrality had any effect on the internet at all.\n\nSo, what happened? Did net neutrality’s defenders simply get the issue wrong? Did repeal actually cause subtle harms that most aren’t aware of? Did the media misrepresent the stakes? I sat down with net neutrality opponents and advocates to get some answers.\n\n### The free internet fight.\n\n### This post is for subscribers only\n\nBecome a member to get access to all content\n\nSubscribe now",
  "title": "Whatever happened to net neutrality?",
  "updatedAt": "2026-03-13T15:54:42.504Z"
}