Amid the rapid elimination of government oversight by Trump administration, a pivotal turning point in the equitable access to internet bandwidth has been overlooked.

On Jan. 2, the Sixth Circuit Court of Appeals dealt a decisive blow to net neutrality, overturning the Federal Communications Commission's 2024 rules. After facing constant challenges and reversals since its original adoption in 2015, this regulatory seesaw has effectively ended.

This ruling is striking, but not surprising. The Sixth Circuit had suspended net neutrality rules last summer, signaling skepticism of the FCC's authority to issue them. At the time, the judges wrote, “Absent a clear mandate to treat broadband as a common carrier, we cannot assume that Congress granted the Commission this sweeping power.”

Brendan Carr, the newly appointed FCC chair under President Trump, has frequently spoken out against net neutrality rules. Carr has argued that during the period between 2017 and 2023, when net neutrality rules had been struck down, internet speeds increased and coverage expanded. Carr and others have also pointed out that such regulations can stifle innovation and hamper expansion of broadband into rural areas. He views net neutrality rules as “micromanagement by government bureaucrats.”

Carr makes valid and important points, but net neutrality is widely popular among the public. A

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