As a simple history, net neutrality is the treatment of internet service providers as common carriers. In short, that they follow similar regulations to water and electrical services.
FCC docket 17-108, presented by Ajit Pai, proposes to remove these regulations because there is "no concrete evidence" of its necessity.
This ignores Verizon throttling speed to Netflix in 2014. Also, this ignores Comcast throttling peer-to-peer services in 2007-2008 (efforts which, in modern day, would have stifled development of Bitcoin, which recently hit $10,000 a unit).
This also ignores Verizon's lawsuit against the FCC in 2014, claiming the FCC had no right to regulate them. The court found in favor of Verizon, enforcing an earlier ruling that the FCC had no power to regulate without Title 2, or net neutrality) protections the FCC passed in 2015.
They are essential in an age where open access on the internet is tantamount to free speech, allowing every person in this country to engage in a worldwide economy.
Without net neutrality, we run the risk of the internet becoming cable television, where different tiers of access are sold like cable packages. We run the risk of creating a Great Firewall of America, where access to competing products is slowed to the state of uselessness.
As of this writing, Sens. Deb Fischer and Ben Sasse have said nothing on the subject.
Jerrod Dixon, Lincoln