The current rules, which have been in place since 2015, ensure that internet service providers treat all data — websites, shows, emails — the same. That means nobody has to pay extra money to make sure his or her content loads quickly. This fair internet, where everyone from an amateur comedian to a celebrity to a huge media company plays by the same rules, means you don’t need a lot of money or the backing of someone with power to share your content with the world.

To understand how consequential this is, imagine a young woman walking into the HBO offices and saying, “Hi, I’m an awkward black girl and I think I have some pretty hilarious misadventures that you should make into a TV show!” HBO’s only question probably would have been, “How did you get in here?” Now picture this: “Hi, I’m Issa Rae. I have hundreds of thousands of YouTube subscribers and hundreds of millions of YouTube views. And I’m an awkward black girl.” HBO’s question: “When can you start?” I’m exaggerating. But only slightly. Issa Rae started the web series “The Misadventures of Awkward Black Girl” on YouTube in 2011. Thanks in large part to its success, six years later, her comedy series, “Insecure,” is set to air for a third season on HBO. It’s hard to imagine this happening in a world without net neutrality.

Net neutrality is crucial to the careers of comedians like Ms. Rae and me, but it also allows content about more serious subjects to find an audience, without the endorsement or approval of traditional media gatekeepers.

When the activists Alicia Garza, Opal Tometi and Patrisse Cullors started using the hashtag #BlackLivesMatter to discuss the killing of the unarmed black teenager Trayvon Martin, it began trending worldwide, eventually anchoring the modern movement against police brutality against African-Americans. It’s a reminder that the people providing the sharpest and most current analysis are often not employed by major media. This is still the case: Puerto Rico recovery updates? I’m going with @RosaClemente. Insightful takes on diversity in Hollywood? @ReignOfApril has them all. Weirdly perfect gifs and memes to make it through the daily news about the Trump administration? @ParkerMolloy has got me every time.