Free Republic

President Obama drew a sharp rebuke from senior Republicans on Capitol Hill for pushing broad regulation of Internet broadband service, with lawmakers warning that such a move would imperil the “thriving Internet economy and the American jobs it creates.” The president touched off the battle after issuing a lengthy statement on Monday on so-called “net neutrality.” Staking out his position, the president called on the Federal Communications Commission to more heavily regulate Internet providers and treat broadband much as it would any other public utility.

MoveOn.org and other groups will protest what they see as Google's abandonment of net neutrality. Liberal groups and consumer advocates are planning a rally at Google's Mountain View headquarters Friday, sounding off against what they see as a reversal of the company's long-held net-neutrality stances. Google announced this week it has reached an agreement with Verizon on how Internet service providers should be regulated, a question that has divided Internet companies and access providers for years. Free Press spokeswoman Liz Rose said Google's perceived reversal of its stance is what has the groups so incensed and explains why the protest...

The DC circuit Court of Appeals gave the Obama administration a big dash of cold water on the limits of its authority to impose rules on communications networks today. In essence, the court recognized Comcast’s property rights to determine its own terms of service for Internet use, and the implications could affect Barack Obama’s plans to mandate broadband expansion as well (via Story Balloon): A federal appeals court ruled Tuesday that the Federal Communications Commission lacks the authority to require broadband providers to give equal treatment to all Internet traffic flowing over their networks. The ruling by the U.S. Court...