John Oliver sounds the warning siren on net neutrality, summoning the internet horde that saved it before

John Oliver tries to save net neutrality, again
(Image credit: Last Week Tonight)

The internet is an incredible place, John Oliver said on Sunday's Last Week Tonight, after playing a duet between Taylor Swift and a goat, "and tonight we need to talk about an issue that is impacting it: net neutrality." Yes, he discussed the topic three years ago, in his fifth episode, "which got a weird amount of attention," Oliver said, but "once again, net neutrality is in trouble," because of President Trump.

"It seems that the Trump era will basically control-Z everything that happened on Obama's watch," Oliver sighed. "I genuinely would not be surprised if one night Trump went on TV just to tell us that he personally killed every turkey that Obama ever pardoned." Now, ISPs are touting their support for a "free and open internet," with some regulatory changes, but you should take their "support" with a grain of salt, Oliver said, briefly explaining Title I and II of the Communications Act of 1934 — the entertainment "equivalent of chasing an Ambien with a shot of chloroform."

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Peter Weber, The Week US

Peter has worked as a news and culture writer and editor at The Week since the site's launch in 2008. He covers politics, world affairs, religion and cultural currents. His journalism career began as a copy editor at a financial newswire and has included editorial positions at The New York Times Magazine, Facts on File, and Oregon State University.