We've established what the internet actually is now, the physical connection of computers across the world through modems, cables, ISPs, and servers. We've also established what net neutrality is, the idea that all data on the world wide web should be treated and transferred equally. However, what does this require?

The companies that provide the average consumer with access to the internet, ones like Comcast and AT&T, own the physical cables to which your modem connects. These companies charge consumers X price for access to these cables with Y speed (in amount of data per second), much like delivery companies companies such as FedEx will charge X amount to deliver a package in Y days. FedEx is charging you for access to their trucks, which connect to other FedEx stores and trucks, which connect to where you want the package to end up. Now, if FedEx were to say that only people sending certain things would be able to have the best service, that would be a violation of a hypothetical "package neutrality."

Net Neutrality follows the same idea as the hypothetical package neutrality. If an ISP decides that companies must pay a premium price to have their data transferred to your computer at the best rate, it violates net neutrality. This can lead to quite a few problems. More on these next.