Network Neutrality: A History of Common Carrier Laws 1884–2018
“That men do not learn very much from the lessons of history is the most important of all the lessons that history has to teach.” — Aldous Huxley
Regulation of Data Transport Businesses — The Story of Bell
Network neutrality is a series of rules centered on the idea that Internet Service Providers (ISPs) must service customer requests in a way that is agnostic to data being provided. Net neutrality has a long history in American politics that predates The Internet by many years. In 1934 Franklin D. Roosevelt signed into law the aptly named Communications Act of 1934. This law replaced the Federal Radio Commission, with the new Federal Communications Commission (FCC) and gave this new regulatory body expanded powers to regulate emerging technologies of the day such as broadcast TV, and telephony. The 1934 act also established the set of “Titles” now governing communications entities (e.g. Title II: Common Carrier).
Among the powers granted to the FCC was the ability to classify a communication organization as a “common carrier” under Title II of the act. The notion of a common carrier was not new to the law in 1934, but the application of common carriage…
