This week, an appeals court in the US has again overturned the net neutrality legislations introduced in 2015 and 2021. It ruled that the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) did not have legal authority to reinstate net neutrality rules backed by the Biden administration.

This is a disappointing news item for any of us that rely on the internet for our work, leisure or consumption of culture, and we’re going to be hearing the term “net neutrality” a lot. So, here’s a quick refresher on what it is and why it matters for creators.

Net neutrality is the principal that an internet service provider (ISP) should not prioritise the access speed of certain websites above others. This prevents small businesses from being digitally trampled by larger ones, promotes innovation and limits an ISP’s ability to offer “paid prioritisation” to businesses or create higher priced fast lane packages for customers. It precludes a situation where your phone might connect to Spotify or Amazon Prime, but you need to pay an additional amount each month to reach Apple Music and Netflix.

More importantly for my industry perhaps, a tiered internet is certain to negatively impact smaller, independent artists and the cultural sector.

Today every music creator, visual artist, filmmaker, writer or giant corporation has the same basic opportunity to share their work with the world. As a result, we all enjoy unthrottled access to diverse culture from across the globe and this in turn allows at least a tiny chance of digital remuneration for these creators.

We may be able to imagine the entire internet moving in this same direction. Perhaps we can also picture the terrible implications this would have for creativity, culture and diversity in every area of the arts. Net neutrality is the legal instrument designed to prevents this from happening. That’s why it matters for creators and for all of us.