Verizon warns FCC could violate law if broadband is reclassified

Verizon says the Federal Communications Commission would break the law by taking a controversial step on new rules for the Internet. Reclassifying broadband Internet service so that the FCC could regulate it like traditional phone service would be a “radical and risky” move “with significant harmful consequences,” Verizon executive Michael Glover told the agency in a letter accompanying a 20-page legal analysis of the action.

Any attempt to reclassify broadband service, even “hybrid” approaches that have been proposed, “would face significant legal challenge and would be unlikely to withstand appeal,” Verizon asserted in its white paper. That is “doubly true” when it comes to wireless Internet services, which the FCC has considered including in its new rules for net neutrality. Verizon practically promised a lawsuit if the agency decided to reclassify Internet service to use the tougher authority.