Polls Agree Net Neutrality Supported By Majority Of Americans

What’s the story?

Polls show that the majority of Americans support net neutrality, even as the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) are poised to end it, as long as they know what it is.

Do you know what net neutrality is, and what it will mean for you if it is lost?

Why does it matter?

Net Neutrality, the idea that access to the internet should be freely available, that signals should not be blocked or slowed intentionally to force customers to pay more, according to polls is an idea that the majority of Americans support.

At the same time, the FCC is poised to dismantle the rules that guarantee it.

A Mozilla/Ipsos poll from May 2017 found that over three quarters of Americans (76 percent) support net neutrality. Eighty-one percent of Democrats and 73 percent of Republicans are in favor of it.

A more recent poll, from Morning Consult and Politico, showed lower numbers of support, but still a majority. They found that among registered voters, 55 percent of Democrats and 53 percent of Republicans, an average of 52 percent, said in the latest survey that they support net neutrality.

But they also found that support for net neutrality had dropped since their last poll in June, from an average of 60 percent to an average of 52, largely because many respondents were unaware of the issue:

"Kyle Dropp, Morning Consult's co-founder and chief research officer, said that only 46 percent of Americans "say they have heard a lot or some about net neutrality recently," compared with 67 percent for tax reform. Seven in 10 said they have heard about sexual misconduct allegations against Alabama GOP Senate candidate Roy Moore or Minnesota Sen. Al Franken.”

What do you think?

Do you support net neutrality? Why or why not? Do most of the people you know seem to know what net neutrality is and what is happening at the FCC, or are they more concerned with other issues?

Tell us in the comments what you think, then use then use the button below to tell the FCC and Take Action button to tell your reps!

Take Action

— Asha Sanaker

(Photo Credit: EFF Photos via Flickr / Creative Commons)

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