Net neutrality (also
network neutrality,
Internet neutrality, or
net equality) is the
principle that
Internet service providers and governments should treat all data on the
Internet the same, not discriminating or charging differentially by user, content, site, platform, application, type of attached equipment, or mode of communication. The term was coined by
Columbia University media law professor
Tim Wu in 2003, as an extension of the longstanding concept of a
common carrier.