In 2017, under Donald Trump, then Federal Communications Commission (FCC) Chairman Ajit Pai voted to repeal net neutrality, ending the free and open internet as we know it.

Net neutrality is the basic principle that companies who provide internet service cannot play favorites with different Internet content, blocking our access to websites, throttling our Internet speeds, or imposing unfair fees based on what we’re accessing. Without basic net neutrality protections, Internet users are at the mercy of Big Telecom companies like Comcast, Verizon, and AT&T.

Now, the FCC, under the Biden administration, is set to vote on restoring these protections on April 25. This has been a long battle against much industry opposition.

Net neutrality is what allows everyone to have equal access to the Internet, giving big tech companies, individual creators and scrappy startups a level playing field to innovate and create on the open Internet. Our ability to freely connect and communicate is at stake.