Web Can Thank TV for Net Neutrality Win: How John Oliver Transformed the Debate Once and for All
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It started with a case of coyote urine.
Before June 1, 2014, just four episodes of “Last Week Tonight With John Oliver” had aired. The weekly, half-hour HBO show took on current affairs from comedic angle. Conceptually in debt to Mr. Oliver’s alma mater, “The Daily Show,” “Last Week Tonight” nonetheless aimed for deeper dives on abstruse subjects, hardly a tried-and-true recipe for TV success. But as the fifth show began at 11 p.m. that Sunday, the British comedian introduced his latest explainer, joking that the internet had vastly increased access to everything from cat pictures to “a case of coyote urine.”
What followed was an acclaimed segment on net neutrality, that not only created significant buzz for his show but gave a bump to a political movement that will score its biggest victory to date on Thursday when the Federal Communications Commission is expected to buck cable companies, the GOP, and its own previous stance, to ensure protections for Mr. Oliver’s beloved open-access internet for millions of Americans.
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