Supreme Court declines to take on net neutrality challenges, in blow to telecom industry
Supreme Court declines to take on net neutrality
challenges, in blow to telecom industry
·
In a setback for industry groups, the U.S.
Supreme Court on Monday declined to hear a number of challenges to Obama-era
"net neutrality" regulations that barred internet service providers
from giving certain customers preferential treatment.
·
The Trump administration overturned those
regulations last year, and since June they have not been in effect.
·
But a range of challenges to the regulations
remained before the court, brought by groups like the United States Telecom
Association, AT&T and The Internet & Television Association.
Tucker Higgins November 5, 2018 CNBC.com
In a setback for industry groups, the U.S. Supreme Court
on Monday announced that it would not take up challenges to Obama-era "net
neutrality" regulations that barred internet service providers from giving
certain customers preferential treatment.
The Trump administration overturned those regulations
last year, and since June they have not been in effect. But a range of
challenges to the regulations remained before the court, brought by groups such
as the United States Telecom Association, AT&T and The Internet &
Television Association.
The court's decision will leave in effect a decision from
a federal appeals court in Washington upholding the constitutionality of the
regulations. That means the decision can be relied on for precedent in the
future.
Three of the court's conservative justices, Clarence
Thomas, Samuel Alito and Neil Gorsuch, said they would have vacated that
decision. Chief Justice John Roberts and Justice Brett Kavanaugh recused
themselves.
Net neutrality has proved divisive, with proponents
arguing that it is the "foundation of a free and open internet" and
opponents casting it as an unlawful seizure of power by the FCC.
The FCC's decision to do away with the Obama-era
regulations is now facing a court challenge in Washington, brought by a group
including Illinois Attorney General Lisa Madigan, a Democrat, as well as the
California Public Utilities Commission.
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