When President Barack Obama started talking about "net neutrality" this month, it set off an instant public debate.
But what is net neutrality?
In short, net neutrality is the idea that all Internet traffic should be treated equally. In other words, traffic from one website should not get preference over another. And no website should have its traffic "throttled" - its speed cut back - for any reason.
Republicans immediately objected to President Obama's net neutrality statement. Senator Ted Cruz, R-Texas, actually called it "Obamacare for the Internet."
Well, it's not quite that.
President Obama suggested the big Internet Service Providers (ISPs) like Comcast Corp. (Nasdaq: CMCSA) and Verizon Communications Inc. (NYSE: VZ) be treated as utilities under the 1934 Telecommunications Act.
But that might be too much regulation. The head of the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) called that approach "too simplistic" and said he needed to figure out "how to split the baby."
To be sure, net neutrality is a complicated issue. To get a better idea of what it's all about, take a look at the infographic below.
Infographic courtesy of WhoIsHostingThis.
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