The FCC had wanted to reinstate some of its net neutrality rules, but a U.S. appeals court sided with broadband providers challenging the regulations and temporarily blocked the decision.
The decision comes after the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) voted earlier this year to resume oversight of broadband internet. According to Reuters, the court’s appeal is a setback for President Joe Biden’s attempt to reinstate rules that require internet service providers to treat all internet data and users equally. These rules were first adopted under the administration of President Barack Obama and then rolled back under President Donald Trump.
The new oral arguments are scheduled for late October or early November, which, as anyone familiar with election calendars knows, will roughly coincide with the presidential election.
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The court wrote that “the final rule suggests serious problems, and the Commission has not met the high bar for imposing such restrictions. Net neutrality is likely a serious issue requiring explicit Congressional authorization.”
In response to the ruling, FCC Chairman Jessica Rosenworcel told Fox Business, “Americans want a fast, open, and fair internet. Today’s decision by the 6th Circuit is a setback, but we will not give up the fight for net neutrality.”
As Mashable previously reported, net neutrality is an anti-discrimination principle on the internet that would move us towards an “open internet.” It’s a particularly partisan issue that continues to be fought in court, so its future may not be known until we know which party will lead the country this November.
The FCC is reinstating net neutrality, but what does it mean?
