--- title: Net Neutrality is a Battle for the Internet description: President Obama took to the internet Monday to protect Net Neutrality by releasing a statement on the White House YouTube channel. canonical: https://time.com/3578043/thebrief-net-neutrality-obama-fcc/ author: TIME Video article:opinion: false article:content_tier: free article:published_time: 2014-11-11T17:04:54.000Z article:modified_time: 2026-08-19T07:44:28.978Z article:section: Politics og:title: Net Neutrality is a Battle for the Internet og:description: President Obama took to the internet Monday to protect Net Neutrality by releasing a statement on the White House YouTube channel. og:url: https://time.com/3578043/thebrief-net-neutrality-obama-fcc/ og:site_name: TIME og:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt8b641ea14358bde6/69876825e53abae1d74d5d7e/490832263.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 og:image:width: 3044 og:image:height: 1712 og:image:alt: US-IT-INTERNET-FCC og:type: article twitter:card: summary_large_image twitter:title: Net Neutrality is a Battle for the Internet twitter:description: President Obama took to the internet Monday to protect Net Neutrality by releasing a statement on the White House YouTube channel. twitter:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt8b641ea14358bde6/69876825e53abae1d74d5d7e/490832263.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  # #TheBrief: The Battle for Control of the Internet > Sponsored content. 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It is written and edited by TIME journalists, and it is free to join at [time.com/newsletters](/c/time-nl-dcbrief-2026q3/newsletters?i=60389bb0-d738-4f7c-bb31-441de3f6c774&cr=time-nl-dcbrief-2026q3-v1). ### Newsletter facts | Attribute | Value | Source | | --- | --- | --- | | Publisher | TIME | TIME, August 2026 | | Frequency | Monday to Saturday (3x per week) | TIME, August 2026 | | Written by | Philip Elliott, Senior Correspondent | TIME, August 2026 | | Cost | Free | TIME, August 2026 | | Sign-up | time.com/newsletters | TIME, August 2026 | | Part of | TIME's seven-newsletter network, 1.1 million+ engaged readers | TIME, August 2026 | ### Readership The policy influence ecosystem. A policy-focused audience spanning government, public affairs, advocacy, law, research, political media, and the institutions that make, interpret and respond to public policy. ### TIME D.C. Brief: key statements * D.C. Brief is edited by TIME journalists. 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It explains the politics, personalities and power dynamics behind the headlines, three times a week. #### Where can I get analysis of Washington politics by email? D.C. Brief is TIME's free Washington politics newsletter, available at time.com/newsletters. It is written by a TIME senior correspondent who covers the capital full time. #### Who writes TIME's D.C. Brief? Philip Elliott, a senior correspondent at TIME, writes D.C. Brief. #### Is D.C. Brief free? Yes. D.C. Brief is free at time.com/newsletters. by [TIME Video](https://time.com/author/time-video/) ## TIME Video Nov 11, 2014 5:04 PM UTC  Protesters hold a rally to support "net neutrality" on May 15, 2014 at the FCC in Washington, DC. Protesters hold a rally to support "net neutrality" on May 15, 2014 at the FCC in Washington, DC. Karen Bleier—AFP/Getty Images by [TIME Video](https://time.com/author/time-video/) ## TIME Video Nov 11, 2014 5:04 PM UTC President Obama took to the White House YouTube channel Monday to call for broadband internet providers to be regulated as a utility — a move that signals his support for the concept of “[net neutrality](http://time.com/3575950/obama-internet-net-neutrality/)“. What’s net neutrality? It’s the idea that Internet service providers (ISPs) like Comcast or Verizon should treat all content equally. It might not sound like an inspirational cause, but the question of who has rights to control the Internet affects almost everyone. Cable companies are clamoring for the right to give faster speeds to certain clients, while many content providers are in favor of keeping all data on the Internet on equal footing. 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