A significant decision from the United States Court of Appeals in April passed mostly unnoticed, though it has the potential to directly affect many more people than it first appeared.

It involves net neutrality, an issue that has surfaced on occasion without drawing much media attention.  Net neutrality is a policy that requires Internet providers to treat all web services equally.

The court of appeals ruled that the Federal Communications Commission lacks regulatory power over broadband Internet, voiding its 2008 attempt to stop Comcast’s blocking of certain Internet uses.

The entire conflict boils down to one word: information. As of now, the FCC regulates “telecommunication services” and not “information services,” which is the current label for Internet access services. Thankfully, an easy fix is at hand.

As Susan Crawford wrote in a recent New York Times op-ed, “The FCC has the legal authority to change the label, as long as it can provide a good reason. And that reason is obvious: Americans buy an Internet access service based on its speed and price — and not on whether an email address is included as part of a bundle.”

I find it unbelievable that the FCC allowed the court system to deal with the Internet in the first place.

If the necessary and obvious steps are taken to finalize net neutrality once and for all, the FCC can focus on more important ventures, such as expanding the high-speed Internet highway across America.

Wesley Vaughn is a junior majoring in public relations and political science.