Appeals Court Upholds Claw Back of Net Neutrality Rules, With Caveat
WASHINGTON – The D.C. Circuit Court of Appeals on Tuesday issued a mixed ruling on the Federal Communications Commission’s 2017 repeal of so-called net neutrality, allowing the claw back to stand while striking down a provision blocking states from adopting their own open internet rules.
The Obama-era net neutrality rules classified internet service providers as common carriers, subjecting them to tougher regulations and oversight, and prohibited them from discriminating against certain websites or from offering priority service where companies could pay for their content to reach internet users at faster speeds.
Republicans and service providers like AT&T, Comcast and Verizon, objected to the rules, but were unable to convince a court to overturn them.
The tide changed with the election of President Donald Trump, and his 2017 appointment of Republican Ajit Pai as FCC chairman. Shortly afterwards, the new Republican majority on the FCC board voted 3-2 to repeal the rules.
“At bottom, the commission lacked the legal authority to categorically abolish all fifty States’ statutorily conferred authority to regulate intrastate communications,” the court wrote, explaining why it threw out that portion of the rule.
The D.C. Circuit also said the FCC needed to spend additional time considering how its rules would affect public safety.
In a dissent, U.S. Circuit Judge Stephen Williams said the ruling would leave broadband “subject to state regulation in which the most intrusive will prevail.”
In The News
Health
Voting
Technology
At the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, it became clear that the nation’s manufacturing capabilities were ill-prepared to respond to the urgent needs of the medical community. As the pandemic’s scope progressed, so did China’s chokehold on supplying countries with personal protective equipment and other front-line... Read More
In the latest call for regulators to limit the power of big tech companies, a group of Canadian news media publications has asked Prime Minister Justin Trudeau to force revenue sharing negotiations among tech behemoths Google and Facebook and Canadian news outlets. The digital platforms have... Read More
WASHINGTON - The Federal Communications Commission on Thursday unanimously adopted a Notice of Proposed Rulemaking and Notice of Inquiry intended to secure the nation’s communications networks against cyberattacks. With seven ransomware attacks per hour in 2020, a total of 65,000, the Commission is taking a “three-pronged... Read More
A small community in Lincoln County, Maine, was recently denied a broadband deployment grant by the U.S. Department of Agriculture, as satellite service provider ViaSat had already won the area in a Rural Digital Opportunity Fund auction by the Federal Communications Commission, recalled Peggy Schaffer, executive... Read More
House lawmakers on Friday introduced sweeping antitrust legislation aimed at restraining the power of large tech companies and preventing corporate consolidation across the economy. Introduced by Antitrust Subcommittee Chairman David Cicilline, D-R.I., and Antitrust Subcommittee Ranking Member Ken Buck, R-Colo., the five bills are directed squarely... Read More
In South Carolina, the state government is matching broadband service providers dollar-for-dollar if they build out networks to the identified unserved areas, said Andrew Rein, chief financial officer of telecommunications provider Hargray, Wednesday. And the need for accurately mapping these areas without access to high-speed broadband... Read More
