Free Republic

In a major victory for cable companies and telcos that raises concerns about the Federal Communications Commission's regulatory authority in the wake of recent U.S. Supreme Court rulings, the 6th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals has struck down the agency’s net neutrality rules. The rules require broadband operators to treat all internet traffic equally and banned them from giving preferential treatment to some sites by speeding up or slowing down consumer access. The FCC had implemented net neutrality rules under former President Barack Obama, which were then dropped during the Trump administration. Last April the FCC voted 3-2, along party...

As legal challenges loom for new net neutrality regulations, GOP members of the Federal Communications Commission are offering some of the first lines of attack. The dissenting opinions of the two Republicans ran 80 pages, and they telegraph some of the arguments on which critics could rely as they prepare legal filings to scrap the new rules. FCC Chairman Tom Wheeler has repeatedly said the commission wrote the rules to withstand challenges from the “big dogs.” And while it is still unclear which organization or company will lead the charge, there is little doubt that a legal battle is...

Net neutrality advocates are taking to the skies over Austin, Texas, this weekend to hit Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas) for his opposition to net neutrality.A plane dragging a 1,500-square-foot banner reading “Don’t be an enemy of the Internet, Sen. Ted Cruz,” will fly above the Texas capital on Friday and Saturday afternoons, while the South by Southwest festival goes on down below.Cruz has been one of Congress’s most vocal critics of federal net neutrality regulations, which attempt to ensure that Internet service providers such as Comcast and Time Warner Cable treat all online traffic equally.Last year, he called it “ObamaCare...

The Internet regulations the FCC quietly passed last month have finally been disclosed. The LA Times reports: “The FCC’s action was strongly opposed by AT&T Inc., Verizon Communications Inc., and other broadband providers as well as most Republicans. AT&T hinted at a likely legal challenge of the regulations Thursday.” Chuck Ross at The Daily Caller cross-referenced the nearly 400 pages of new regulations and found the organization Free Press referenced 46 times, while making the case for the so-called “net neutrality” regulations. He also pointed out who is behind the group: “It has received $2.2 million in donations from progressive...

The interwebs are now, officially, considered a “public utility” according to the Federal Communication Commission. After two weeks, the FCC has finally released its 400 page plan to regulate the internet. (I’d say something snarky about this, but I honestly don’t know whether or not that’s still allowed… And, as a follow up: Do you really think it takes 400 pages to ensure an “open and free” internet?) Naturally, the next step would be for government to begin subsidizing internet service to potential Democrat voters low income citizens. According to the National Journal:The Federal Communications Commission plans to soon begin working...

Two weeks after passage, the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) finally released its landmark “net neutrality” regulations Thursday morning. Among its many determinations, the FCC stated that broadband providers do not enjoy First Amendment protections because they do not have a right to free speech. “The rules we adopt today do not curtail broadband providers’ free speech rights,” the commission said on page 268 of its decision, noting that because they merely serve as a means for others to express themselves, broadband providers are not entitled to free speech rights themselves. “When engaged in broadband Internet access services, broadband providers are...

The Federal Communications Commission has finally published its full net neutrality rules on its Web site. And they're not for the faint of heart. Together with the dissents from the agency's Republican commissioners, the document adds up to 400 pages. The release of the rules comes two weeks after the FCC voted to approve them in a historic, polarized vote at the commission. Now begins the next chapter in the story. Expect Internet providers to comb through the publication, probing the rules for legal weaknesses they can take to court. The FCC's net neutrality order seeks to prevent Internet providers...