U.S. Court of Appeals Overturns Net Neutrality
A U.S. court has overturned portions of the Federal Communications Commission’s contentious net neutrality rules, saying the FCC does not have the authority to dictate to wireless carriers what they can charge to whom and when.
The decision was handed down today by the U.S. Court of Appeals for Washington, D.C. The case was brought by Verizon, which claimed the FCC’s “decision to impose the rules was arbitrary and capricious,” the ruling says.
The idea of “net neutrality” is also called “open internet” because it argues that no government or company can regulate the flow of the Internet. Advocates say that if left without regulation, large service providers will give preferential treatment to larger companies that can pay more. Meanwhile, smaller tech companies without deep, corporate pockets, will not be able to compete for premium service.
Also: Net Neutrality Is Dead. Here’s How to Get It Back:
The FCC’s rules were designed to prevent Internet service providers from blocking or interfering with Web traffic. Instead of reversing a Bush-era decision that weakened the FCC’s authority over broadband, and establishing solid legal footing, former FCC Chairman Julius Genachowski issued the rules in 2010 under the complicated and shaky legal framework the court rejected today.
The rules the court struck down left much to be desired, but they were a step toward preserving Internet users’ freedom to go wherever they wanted, whenever they wanted.
Now, just as Verizon promised it would in court, the biggest broadband providers will race to turn the open and vibrant Web into something that looks like cable TV — where they pick and choose the channels for you. They’ll establish fast lanes for the few giant companies that can afford to pay exorbitant tolls and reserve the slow lanes for everyone else.
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Together we can fight back against these greedy Internet service providers. We can save the Internet we love. But we have to act now.