Appeals court strikes down FCC net neutrality rule
Appeals court strikes down FCC net neutrality rule
The court says the agency does not have the authority to
regulate broadband
By Grant Gross, IDG News Service
January 14, 2014 11:06 AM ET
The U.S. Court of Appeals for the District Columbia
Circuit on Tuesday ruled that the FCC does not have the authority to implement
the rules prohibiting broadband providers from selectively blocking or slowing
Web traffic. The FCC passed the net neutrality rules, also called open Internet
rules, in December 2010, but Verizon Communications challenged the rules,
saying Congress did not give the agency the authority to regulate broadband
providers.
"We're disappointed that the court came to this
conclusion," Craig Aaron, president and CEO of digital rights group Free
Press, said in a statement. "Its ruling means that Internet users will be
pitted against the biggest phone and cable companies -- and in the absence of
any oversight, these companies can now block and discriminate against their
customers' communications at will."
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