Why the 12 July protest to protect net neutrality matters

Companies such as Facebook, Google and Amazon will band together for a day of action against a threat to the open internet. So what's the big deal?

About 200 internet companies and activist groups are coming together this week to mobilize their users into opposing US government plans to scrap net neutrality protections.

The internet-wide day of action, scheduled for Wednesday 12 July, will see companies including Facebook, Google, Amazon, Vimeo, Spotify, Reddit and Pornhub notify their users that net neutrality - a founding principle of the open internet - is under attack. The Trump administration is trying to overturn Obama-era regulation that protected net neutrality, and there is less than a week left for people to object.