Court case

How soon can you win a legal victory and end this nightmare? The soonest Free Press can file in court is after the order is published, either by the Federal Communications Commission itself or in that Federal Register. (There are some complicated timing rules that can apply differently to different parts of the FCC’s vote, so that’s why there’s some flexibility.) Once that publication happens, we’ll file within 10 days — a timeframe set for making a first appearance and starting the process to determine which federal appeals court will hear the case.

The Attorney General of Washington has filed a new amended complaint in an ongoing lawsuit against Comcast, claiming that "new evidence" reveals "even more deceptive conduct than previously alleged." The lawsuit, which was initially submitted in August 2016, alleged that hundreds of thousands of Washington residents were "deceived" into paying "at least $73 million in subscription fees over the last five years for a near-worthless ‘protection plan.’" According to the amended complaint, which was filed in King County Superior Court on Thursday, newly obtained recorded calls between Comcast a

Uber  suffered a major defeat in its effort to overturn strict rules and licensing requirements in Europe, after the bloc’s highest court ruled the ride-hailing company should be regulated as a transportation service, rather than a digital service. The judgment by the European Court of Justice won’t force Uber to curtail most of its services in Europe, but the decision is a blow to the company’s efforts to use courts to lighten its regulatory load—and forces it to deal more directly with national and local governments that set rules governing car and transport services in Europe.

The ink isn't dry yet on the federal government's decision to repeal its network neutrality rules, and yet many are already gearing up for what they say is an inevitable legal battle (once again) over the future of the Web. Because of the potentially far-reaching consequences of the vote, consumer groups and some state attorneys general have vowed to sue the FCC to overturn its decision. The first suits could be filed in mid-January, according to some analysts. Opponents of the FCC are expected to make two broad categories of arguments.

When the Federal Communications Commission ruled to scrap Obama-era rules meant to prevent anti-competitive behavior by Internet service providers, FCC Chairman Ajit Pai said the action would simply return the Internet to 2014. But the reality is you can't truly turn back the clock on the Internet. Here's a look back at what led to the rules in the first place and what their repeal and replacement means for consumers now.

[Commentary] We may have lost the vote at the FCC, but the fight isn’t over yet. Now it moves to two new venues, both of which will require public support. Chairman Pai may have ignored millions of Americans, but he can’t ignore Congress. Members of Congress have the ability and the authority to quickly reverse Chairman Pai’s unprecedented rulemaking through a law called the Congressional Review Act (CRA).

After the FCC’s vote to scrap its net neutrality regulations, activists will turn to lawsuits, Congress—and the 2018 election. Lawsuits probably won’t be filed until at least January, but it’s already clear that they will challenge the FCC’s vote on both substance and process. The substance argument is a legalistic, almost existential, debate over the true nature of an ISP.  What’s kept the fire burning all these years is the fight over two lousy choices for how to legally classify an ISP.

A May court order requiring continued operation of the state's $90 million "middle-mile" broadband network remains in effect, despite an effort to quash it.  That development comes as the arcane legal dispute mushrooms, nine months after the network operator's surprise bankruptcy filing.

On March 19, AT&T and the Justice Department are expected to head to court to decide the future of Time Warner in what could be a historic legal showdown over a massive $85 billion merger. The timing of the trial could put AT&T in an uncomfortable position as it seeks to buy up one of the world's most valuable media and entertainment conglomerates, known for popular TV channels such as CNN and hit film franchises like the “Harry Potter” series.

Network neutrality supporters are predicting that the Federal Communications Commission will have a hard time defending its decision to repeal its landmark rules in court.  “The draft order seems to say that the FCC is no longer interested in exercising its responsibilities as an expert agency,” said Jonathan Sallet, a former FCC general counsel under the Obama administration. “I do not believe a court of appeals will uphold this order,” he added.