When the FCC opened up a large block of the radio spectrum to in 2008 for over $9 billion, the deal came with some caveats. Specifically, the telecom giant would be required to play by rules that looked a lot like net neutrality, which included not interfering with any type of software from running on its network. Shortly thereafter, when the FCC discovered that Verizon had pressured to remove nearly a dozen programs from its app store that allowed for tethering, regulators pulled off the gloves.Tethering is a process by which a cellular device is converted into a mobile Wi-Fi hotspot that can be used by other devices, like laptops and some tablets, that are unable to send and receive cellular signals.Verizon, at the time, technically allowed tethering. But the company required customers who wanted to enable tethering to sign up for its Mobile Broadband Connect service for an additional fee. The FCC noted that, while Verizon argued that the fee was required to compensate for the propensity of its customers who regularly tether to use a large amount of data, even Verizon customers who had signed up for an unlimited data plan were required to enable Mobile Broadband Connect if they wanted to tether.The company’s effort to block third-party tethering apps apparently arose from fears that such apps could allow users to tether without paying the fee. Google was exempted from any sort of regulatory action from the FCC because the company existed outside of the agency’s jurisdiction to oversee ISPs., From blocking certain internet applications that challenge their businesses to giving special privileges to their own proprietary content delivery mechanisms, the record of anti-net neutrality, In reality, many providers both in the United States and abroad have violated the principles of Net Neutrality — and they plan to continue doing so in the future. This history of abuse revealed a problem that the FCC’s 2015 Net Neutrality protections solved..