The fight for net neutrality is forever – The Verge

Net neutrality eviscerated by appeals court ruling

2025-01-02T15:53:13-05:00

Federal net neutrality rules, which briefly came back from the dead under the Biden administration, have been struck down by the Sixth Circuit Court of Appeals.

The three-judge panel ruled that the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) does not have the authority to impose net neutrality rules on internet service providers (ISPs). The FCC sought to reclassify ISPs as common carriers under Title II of the Communications Act in order to impose policies meant to prevent them from discriminating against different internet traffic, like by slowing speeds or blocking content.

But the judges disagreed with the agency's interpretation of how ISP …

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FCC and the broadband industry argue net neutrality’s future

2024-10-31T13:23:00-04:00

Attorneys for the Federal Communications Commission and groups representing the broadband industry argued about the future of net neutrality to a panel of appeals court judges on Thursday.

The hearing was part of an endless political ping-pong game over net neutrality rules - which reclassify internet service providers (ISPs) as common carriers, barring them from selectively throttling web traffic. After being enacted under President Barack Obama and repealed under his successor, Donald Trump, they were reinstated by Joe Biden's FCC in April. The latest iteration didn't get far since the Sixth Circuit Court of Appeals put the rules on hold …

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Net neutrality is on ice

2024-08-01T18:30:58-04:00

Net neutrality is officially on hold after the Sixth Circuit Court of Appeals blocked the rule from taking effect.

The court granted a stay, extending an earlier temporary pause. This time, net neutrality will be blocked until the court says otherwise after reviewing the petitions from broadband providers who opposed the rule. Those internet service providers (ISPs) successfully showed they would likely succeed on the merits of their challenge, the panel of judges wrote.

"The American public wants an internet that is fast, open, and fair," Federal Communications Commission Chair Jessica Rosenworcel said in a statement on the stay. "Today's …

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Appeals court halts return of net neutrality

2024-07-15T15:28:04-04:00

A federal appeals court has agreed to halt the reinstatement of net neutrality rules until August 5th, while the court considers whether more permanent action is justified.

It's the latest setback in a long back and forth on net neutrality - the principle that internet service providers (ISPs) should not be able to block or throttle internet traffic in a discriminatory manner. The Federal Communications Commission has sought to achieve this by reclassifying ISPs under Title II of the Communications Act, which gives the agency greater regulatory oversight. The Democratic-led agency enacted net neutrality rules under the Obama administration, …

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FCC votes to restore net neutrality

2024-04-25T12:19:15-04:00

The Federal Communications Commission voted 3-2 to restore net neutrality rules, reversing a repeal ushered through during the Trump administration.

Net neutrality is the idea that internet service providers (ISPs) should not be able to discriminate against different kinds of content by blocking or throttling connection speeds or offering paid prioritization for different internet traffic. The FCC has sought to accomplish this by reclassifying ISPs as common carriers under Title II of the Communications Act, giving the agency more regulatory authority over them.

Democratic FCC Chair Jessica Rosenworcel said in remarks ahead of the vote tha …

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Net neutrality is about to make a comeback

2024-04-24T15:26:15-04:00

The Federal Communications Commission is set to vote to restore net neutrality on Thursday in the latest volley of a yearslong game of political ping-pong.

The commission is expected to reclassify internet service providers (ISPs) - e.g., broadband companies like AT&T and Comcast - as common carriers under Title II of the Communications Act. That classification would open ISPs up to greater oversight by the FCC. The vote is widely expected to go in favor of reinstating net neutrality since FCC Chair Jessica Rosenworcel, a Democrat, controls the agency's agenda. Rosenworcel moved forward with the measure after a fifth commissioner was sworn …

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FCC will vote on restoring net neutrality rules

2024-04-03T10:41:59-04:00

The Federal Communications Commission will vote on April 25th on a proposal to restore net neutrality rules, the agency announced on Wednesday.

If the five-member panel votes to restore the rules, internet service providers (ISP) will be reclassified from information services to common carriers, bringing stricter regulations with the change.

The idea of net neutrality is to keep ISPs from treating internet traffic differently by throttling or blocking, for example. The FCC installed net neutrality rules back in 2015, but they were repealed in 2017 under a Trump-nominated chair. Republicans on the commission believed that removing what they …

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FCC kicks off fight to restore net neutrality

2023-10-19T11:42:59-04:00

After five years in a shallow grave, the FCC has revived the rules meant to force internet service providers (ISPs) like Comcast and Verizon to treat all traffic equally. The agency voted in favor of a notice of proposed rulemaking Thursday, taking its first step toward reinstating net neutrality.

"Today, there is no expert agency ensuring that the internet is fast, open, and fair. And for everyone, everywhere to enjoy the full benefits of the internet age, internet access needs to be more than just accessible and affordable," Chairwoman Jessica Rosenworcel said ahead of Thursday's vote. "The internet needs to be open." The notice was supp …

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FCC announces plans to resurrect net neutrality rules

2023-09-26T15:32:25-04:00

The US Federal Communications Commission (FCC) has announced plans to reinstate landmark net neutrality rules meant to guarantee fair access to the internet and its information, five years after they were repealed by then-president Donald Trump in 2018.

Previous net neutrality rules adopted in 2015 classified broadband service under public utility rules and prevented internet service providers from blocking websites, throttling traffic, or charging more for faster access to certain services. According to FCC Chair Jessica Rosenworcel, the commission is expected to conduct an initial vote on reinstating these rules next month during an Octob …

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The White House might be running out of time to bring back net neutrality

2023-03-16T09:30:00-04:00

Shortly after coming into office, President Joe Biden moved to restore net neutrality. He signed a sweeping executive order to promote competition, calling on the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) to bring back the Obama-era internet rules rolled back by the Trump administration.

But close to two years later, the FCC remains deadlocked with only four of its five commissioner slots filled - and Biden may be running out of time.

Biden's pick for a new FCC commissioner was Gigi Sohn, a former FCC official and public interest advocate. Sohn would have secured a long-awaited Democratic majority at the agency. After she was nominated in Oc …

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