Now that the US government's historic open internet protections have taken effect, many of the activists who pushed for the landmark rules are aiming to turn their victory into a new political force.

The Federal Communications Commission's open internet policy still faces major threats from broadband giants and their allies in Congress, but the successful net neutrality campaign has emboldened activists as they look toward the 2016 elections and beyond.

Craig Aaron, president and CEO of Free Press, a DC-based advocacy group that helped lead the net neutrality fight, believes that recent policy victories demonstrate that voters who prioritize internet issues have the potential to become a formidable political force—if they can get organized.

"It's more than a trend, it's real momentum, it's concrete victories, and it is an opportunity," Aaron said recently at Personal Democracy Forum in New York.