Although “the Internet” seems ethereal, it is in fact a network of networks that connects billions of users around the world. The capabilities of the Internet are dependent on the reach of those networks. Many governments worldwide are considering how to effectively and efficiently make robust networks available to their citizens to enable them to access the Internet.
“The judge found, as I’ve long argued, that an agency that says it has no power to regulate, it has no power to tell others they can’t regulate,” — Barbara van Schewick, Professor of Law, Stanford University
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"To close the digital divide, the federal government needs to view broadband like the US Postal Service when it was first developed, concentrating on connecting all citizens rather than just communities where the service makes economic sense." — Randal Picker, Professor of Law, University of Chicago
"Making capacity available in real time at market prices limits hoarding and encourages innovation. Unleashing our brilliant start-up ecosystem through such market mechanisms, along with opportunities for unlicensed access to wireless capacity, is America’s best hope to beat China in 5G." — Kevin Werbach, Professor of Legal Studies and Business Ethics, University of Pennsylvania
"Today, the Internet is a space where every Californian, no matter the color of their skin or the size of their wallets, has equal chance of reaching people online. It's a space where we the people—not AT&T and Comcast—determine what succeeds in our economy, our culture, and our democracy." — Barbara van Schewick, Professor of Law, Stanford University
"Net neutrality protections are absolutely consistent with a free market framework. They are really a way to protect all these free markets that arose from and depend on the internet." — Barbara van Schewick, Professor of Law, Stanford University
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TAP Blog
Stanford law professor Barbara van Schewick explains why AT&T’s decision to suspend its sponsored data program is a “win for an open and free internet.”
March 26, 2021
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Fact Sheets
Given the significance of the Internet, preserving its “openness” – an idea often referred to as “network neutrality” or “net neutrality” – has been a long-standing issue.
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Featured Article
Net neutrality law limits Internet Service Providers’ (ISPs) control of Internet uses and users. Federal net neutrality rules were repealed, but states should be able to enact their own net neutrality rules.
September 17, 2020
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