Big Telecom guns for a major Biden policy

The telecommunications industry has unleashed a barrage of lawsuits designed to block a major policy goal of the Biden administration, a new internet-fairness regime it hopes to lock down ahead of the November election. The conflict is likely to drag on through the rest of 2024, showcasing the kind of behind-the-scenes Washington fight that can flare in an election year as a White House tries to cement its legacy. The suits opened a new front in the battle over “net neutrality,” a policy the Federal Communications Commission voted to adopt in April. Net neutrality rules guarantee all web users equal access to the internet without throttling or blocking particular sites. Democrats see net neutrality as a long-overdue way to guarantee equitable access to broadband internet, now a backbone of the American economy. Broadband companies argue that the system already works well, and more regulation would put an important piece of private-sector infrastructure at risk. The fight promises to be costly—and on both sides, could deliver only a temporary win.