Tag Archives: net neutrality

Court rules the FCC can’t block state net neutrality laws

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The FCC has won a key bid to uphold its repeal of net neutrality, but at a significant cost. A federal appeals court handling a Mozilla complaint has ruled that most of the repeal can stand, but that the FCC had “not shown legal authority” to ban states from implementing their own laws. The regulator was trying to “categorically abolish” states’ established power to regulate communications within their borders, according to the court. – Jon Fingas, Engadget » https://engt.co/2oWgXl0 [photo:Orin Zebest/Flickr]

AT&T Prevails Against DOJ In Long-Running Legal Battle Over Time Warner Deal

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In their 35-page ruling, Judges Judith W. Rogers, Robert L. Wilkins and David B. Sentelle affirmed Leon’s decision, saying that AT&T had provided “real-world” data to support its contention that the deal would not result in harm. “The government offered no comparable analysis of data,” the judges wrote. “Evidence also indicated that the industry had become dynamic in recent years with the emergence, for example, of Netflix and Hulu. In this evidentiary context, the government’s objections that the district court misunderstood and misapplied economic principles and clearly erred in rejecting the quantitative model are unpersuasive.” – Dade Hayes, Deadline Hollywood » https://ift.tt/2SuWOM6

FCC Says Gutting ISP Oversight Was Great For Broadband

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With many of the nation’s phone companies refusing to upgrade or even repair their aging DSL lines, cable giants like Comcast are securing a greater monopoly over faster broadband across huge swaths of the country. That in turn is resulting in higher rates and little incentive to improve terrible customer service. The telecom lobby works tirelessly to keep this status quo intact. – Karl Bode, MOTHERBOARD » https://ift.tt/2TfLUhF

House Democrats tell Ajit Pai: Stop screwing over the public

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On Thursday this week, the Communications Subcommittee will hold a hearing about the impact of Pai’s net neutrality repeal on consumers, small businesses, and free speech. Witnesses who have been invited to testify at the hearing include former FCC Chairman Tom Wheeler, cable industry chief lobbyist Michael Powell (who is also a former FCC chairman), and representatives of Mozilla, Free Press, and Eastern Oregon Telecom. – Jon Brodkin, Ars Technica » http://bit.ly/2HZDcQ6

FCC struggles to convince judge that broadband isn’t “telecommunications”

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Of the three judges, Circuit Judge Patricia Millett expressed the most skepticism of Johnson’s arguments, repeatedly challenging the FCC’s definition of broadband and its disregard for arguments made by public safety agencies. She also questioned the FCC’s claim that the net neutrality rules harmed broadband investment. Circuit Judge Robert Wilkins also expressed some skepticism of FCC arguments, while Senior Circuit Judge Stephen Williams seemed more amenable to FCC arguments. (Williams previously dissented in part from a 2016 ruling that upheld the Obama-era net neutrality rules. Now the same court is considering FCC Chairman Ajit Pai’s repeal of those rules.) – Jon Brodkin, Ars Technica » http://bit.ly/2Uzx6HI

What to expect from tomorrow’s big net neutrality court hearing

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[W]hat may be the most likely shot at restoring net neutrality regulations will come from a petition against the FCC filed by several supporters of the dismantled rules. The case, Mozilla Corporation v. FCC, will be heard by the US Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia, and the court will decide whether the FCC, led by Chairman Ajit Pai, was within its rights to end the protections. – Colin Lecher, The Verge » http://bit.ly/2DLSeEW

House Democrats Who Haven’t Supported Net Neutrality Yet Have All Taken Money from Telecoms

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That leaves 18 Democrats in the House who have yet to sign the petition, which is, again, the only hope Congress has of voting and passing this resolution to restore net neutrality this year. A Motherboard review of FEC filings shows that each of the representatives has taken thousands of dollars in campaign contributions from one or more major telecom companies, including AT&T, Verizon, Comcast, and the National Cable Television Association (NCTA), an ISP trade group. – Kaleigh Rogers, MOTHERBOARD https://ift.tt/2AAaI8W

California governor signs nation’s toughest net neutrality bill into law

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That means there’s certainly going to be a lawsuit. The first and most immediate question is whether the FCC’s ban on state-enacted net neutrality rules will hold up. The last time the FCC tried to undermine state laws — it wanted to allow cities to build their own broadband networks, even if states said they couldn’t — it lost in court. This is a similar situation, though the FCC has different reasoning for why the restriction of state laws is necessary. – Jacob Kastrenakes, The Verge https://ift.tt/2QjoHpw
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