FCC to rewrite net neutrality rules, won’t appeal court ruling
FCC to rewrite net neutrality rules, won’t appeal court
ruling
By Cecilia Kang Wednesday, February 19, 8:56 AM
The Federal Communications Commission said Wednesday it
will rewrite sweeping broadband Internet rules known as net neutrality, ending
a legal battle that has thrown into question the agency’s ability to protect
consumers on the Web.
The FCC said new rules will ban Internet service
providers such as Verizon and Time Warner Cable from blocking Web sites or
charging a firm like Netflix more for faster and smoother delivery of content.
The move comes after a federal appeals court last month
vacated the FCC’s 2010 Open Internet rules. The U.S. District Court of Appeals
for the District of Columbia said the agency overstepped its authority with the
rules but also noted that the agency has some oversight over the broadband
industry.
FCC Chairman Tom Wheeler said the agency won’t appeal the
court’s decision, adding that the court opinion allows for the agency to
rewrite net neutrality rules that conform with communications laws.
“I intend to accept that invitation by proposing rules
that will meet the court’s test for preventing improper blocking of and
discrimination among Internet traffic, ensuring genuine transparency in how
Internet Service Providers manage traffic, and enhancing competition,” Wheeler
said in a statement. “Preserving the Internet as an open platform for
innovation and expression while providing certainty and predictability in the
marketplace is an important responsibility of this agency.”
The move is Wheeler’s first major decision as he grapples
with the agency’s ability to regulate broadband Internet firms under laws
written for the telephone age. The legal limbo of the FCC has become a focal
point for consumers, Internet entrepreneurs and advocates of free speech who
say the Internet has become a utility like the phone as more homes use it as a
main source of entertainment, news and communications.
Consumer groups have urged Wheeler, a former top lobbyist
for cable and wireless firms, to reclassify broadband like a utility phone
service, giving the FCC clear permission to create rules for the Internet.
Without reclassification of broadband Internet, they say the FCC will continue
to be exposed to lawsuits. Verizon Communications brought the initial challenge
to the FCC’s rules in 2011.
After public comments, new rules are expected to be
complete by spring or summer, a senior FCC official said.
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