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Arguments for and against net neutrality

Proponents of net neutrality argue that it is fundamental to the protection of con‑

sumer choice and innovation on the internet, and advocates in the US have cited 

the First Amendment to the constitution, arguing that net neutrality is necessary to 

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Part 1  Introduction

ensure freedom of speech. Some large internet application and content companies 

tend to be advocates of net neutrality, alongside some consumer rights groups.

Opponents to net neutrality argue that they should be able to offer different quali‑

ties of service, both in order to recover their infrastructure investment costs and to 

enable quality of service guarantees to improve the consumer experience for ser‑

vices such as VoIP or video streaming. In the United States, cable and incumbent 

telecom operators have also claimed that the First Amendment supports opposition 

to net neutrality, arguing that they cannot be compelled to promote speech with 

which they disagree.