Net Neutrality Reconsideration Petition Filed at FCC

More fans of network neutrality rules have asked the Federal Communication Commission to return its bright-line rules against blocking, throttling and paid prioritization, saying eliminated those rules has negatively impacted connectivity at a time -- during the COVID-19 pandemic -- when connectivity is a key public interest priority. That came in a petition for reconsideration from Common Cause, the Benton Institute for Broadband & Society, the National Hispanic Media Coalition, New America’s Open Technology Institute, the United Church of Christ, OC Inc., and Free Press, all of whom opposed the FCC's Restoring Internet Freedom order under former FCC chairman Ajit Pai, which eliminated those rules and essentially took the FCC out of the internet access regulation business. The petition argues the FCC's deregulation "weakened the FCC’s legal authority to provide low-income households with affordable broadband through the Lifeline program at a time when the COVID-19 pandemic has made the need for connectivity greater than ever."