Federal appeals court strikes down FCC net neutrality rule

A federal appeals court struck down net neutrality on Thursday, ending… Widely popular The regulatory principle that requires Internet service providers to treat all Internet traffic equally.

the to rule The Sixth Circuit Court of Appeals has finalized a federal rule prohibiting broadband providers from throttling internet speeds or blocking traffic to specific locations.

“The FCC lacks the statutory authority to enforce desired net neutrality policies,” the justices wrote, striking down what they called the FCC’s “draconian regulatory regime.”

The pro-consumer net neutrality policy was implemented by President Barack Obama and destroyed during Donald Trump’s first term. The Biden administration reinstated it in April last year. The now-defunct policy stipulates that Internet operators are similar to telecommunications providers and must comply with common carrier regulations governing those services.

Telecom giants like Verizon and AT&T have opposed the policy for nearly a decade, spending huge sums of money to support anti-regulatory candidates.

The ruling, issued Thursday by three Republican judicial appointees, cited the Supreme Court’s recent overturn of the long-standing “Chevron deference” precedent, which required lower courts to defer to federal agencies’ interpretation of the law.

Conservative federal courts have spent the past several years rolling back regulatory protections and the administrative state, with cases limiting the EPA’s powers, challenging the Education Department’s authority to cancel student loans and blocking the Biden administration’s ban on trans health care. discrimination.

FCC Chairwoman Jessica Rosenworcel said the ruling went against the wishes of American consumers and urged lawmakers to intervene.

“Consumers across the country have told us time and time again that they want a fast, open, and fair Internet. With this decision, it is clear that Congress now needs to heed their call, take responsibility for net neutrality, and put open Internet principles into federal law,” Rosenworcel said in a statement. .

Beyond the concerns of Internet consumers, the ruling is another major blow to regulatory power to protect American consumers, critics say.

“[The ruling] “Not only does it kill net neutrality, it deals the death blow to any kind of coherent federal protection for consumer broadband,” technology commentator Carl Buddy said in an article. Another to Bluesky.