Former Commissioners Blast Verizon's Neutrality Stance

Verizon's argument that network neutrality rules infringe its free speech rights is "at odds with common sense," four former Federal Communications Commission members argue in a new court filing.

"Verizon’s arguments fail as a matter of constitutional principle," they argue. "There is nothing inherently expressive about transmitting others’ data packets, at a subscriber’s direction, over the Internet." The coalition adds that Verizon's free-speech argument has wide-ranging repercussions that could affect a host of regulations. "Were Verizon’s theories credited, Congress’s historic power to take and authorize measures to preserve openness of communication networks would be unsettled and dramatically narrowed," they say in a friend-of-the-court brief. The brief was filed on behalf of a group that includes four former FCC commissioners -- Reed Hundt, Michael Copps, Tyrone Brown and Nicholas Johnson.