DC Circuit Sets Deadline for FCC Network Neutrality Response

The Federal Communications Commission has until Sept. 12 to respond to petitions by broadband providers including AT&T, Verizon, Comcast, CenturyLink, and others for a full federal appeals court review of a panel decision upholding the agency's network neutrality rules. The US Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit won't accept replies from broadband providers after that. After considering any filings from the FCC and its supporters, the full court will determine whether or not to rehear the case.

The request for responses by the court is standard procedure, said Andrew Schwartzman, Benton Senior Counselor at the Georgetown University Law Center Institute for Public Representation in Washington. “The odds of granting rehearing are still near zero,” Schwartzman said. Several telecom industry sources said on background that they do not expect the DC Circuit to grant a full court hearing.