Did the FCC just take the Net back to 2014?

When the Federal Communications Commission ruled Thursday to scrap Obama-era rules meant to prevent anti-competitive behavior by Internet service providers, FCC Chairman Ajit Pai said the action would simply return the Net to 2014.

But the reality is you can't truly turn back the clock on the Internet.

For one, so much has of the Internet landscape has shifted since the 2015 rules were adopted. More U.S. homes rely on high-speed Internet service now — 82% of U.S. homes have broadband, up from 76% in 2012, according to Leichtman Research Group.

Factor in as well that for 12% of adult Americans, up from 8% in 2013, a smartphone and not at-home broadband is their route to online content, according to Pew Research Center data.

There have also been seismic shifts for the biggest Internet service providers, or ISPs, changes that have turned many such broadband suppliers into gatekeepers of premium content.

In 2015, AT&T acquired satellite pay-TV provider DirecTV, and the former telephone giant now is looking to buy Time Warner, a content deal that faces a March 2018 Justice Department court challenge.