Protesters gathered in front of the Verizon store in the Smithridge shopping center Thursday. They were protesting a decision to roll back net neutrality rules, in place since 2015. Net neutrality, or open internet, ensures that internet service providers treat all online data the same without favoring some websites or blocking others. The Federal Communications Commission plans to vote next week to roll back the Obama-era rules. The issue is being pushed by the Federal Communications Commission chairman, who has ties to Verizon. So the communications company has been a target of protests, including one outside its offices in the Smithridge Center. The protesters say most of us, even casual internet users, have much to lose if the FCC kills net neutrality.