Regulatory classification

In a letter to Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee Chairman Rob Portman (R-OH), Federal Communications Commission Chairman Ajit Pai said that there is little the FCC can do to prevent public comments filed under false names, or under stolen identities or to prevent mass bogus filings in what is meant to be an open, public, process.

The Computer & Communications Industry Association, which has fought to preserve open internet access for more than two decades, filed its petition to intervene in the net neutrality case before the 9th Circuit Court of Appeals. CCIA has standing to directly intervene in this action because many of members will be affected by the FCC’s latest order that would abdicate its role in enforcing nondiscrimination rules on the internet. 

I think it’s worth looking back to 1993 to appreciate how remarkable it is that American Cable Association has, in fact, stood the test of time. Back then, you were in the video delivery business. The technology that looked like the biggest disrupter from your perspective was the introduction of new satellite TV services. But we now know that the public introduction of the World Wide Web in 1993 would prove to be the biggest game-changer.The key for ACA was (and is) that your members have embraced this change. But that wasn’t a given.

Rep. Marsha Blackburn (R-TN), who chairs the House Communications Subcommittee, spoke at the American Cable Association Summit. She put in a plug for her network neutrality legislation, the Open Internet Preservation Act, and also suggested that proponents of network neutrality could be on the same page as she is and just not know it. Her bill prevents blocking and throttling, which she said "everybody agrees with." It does not prevent paid prioritization, which is where it runs into major pushback from Democrats.

[Commentary] Sen John Kennedy (R-LA) has been flirting for months with the idea of being the fifty-first (read: deciding) vote for the Congressional Review Act effort to overturn the Federal Communications Commission's Restoring Internet Freedom Order in the Senate. Yet,recently, Sen Kennedy introduced the Senate companion to Rep Marsha Blackburn’s (R-TN) phony “net neutrality” bill. This legislation is at least fourteen steps in the wrong direction.

The American Cable Association has officially joined the court challenge of the Federal Communications Commission's network neutrality rule rollback, filing a motion to intervene in the case with the US Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit.  ACA is intervening on the side of the FCC, to "help defend the Federal Communications Commission's ruling that restored light-touch regulation to providers of high-quality broadband facilities and infrastructure to millions of users in rural America." An intervenor is a party with a demonstrable interest in the outcome, something ACA certainly has, re

[Commentary] With the Department of Justice (DOJ) litigation to stop the AT&T-Time Warner merger set to go to trial on March 19, it is revealing to compare different views about network power from the agency’s perch on the north side of the National Mall with those of the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) on the other side.

The biggest lobby groups representing broadband providers will help the Federal Communications Commission defend the repeal of network neutrality rules in court. March 15, three trade groups that collectively represent every major home Internet and mobile broadband provider in the US filed motions to intervene in the case on behalf of the FCC. The motions for leave to intervene were filed by NCTA–The Internet & Television Association, CTIA–The Wireless Association, and USTelecom–The Broadband Association. NCTA represents cable companies such as Comcast, Charter, Cox, and Altice.

Washington, the first US state to pass a network neutrality law after the repeal of federal rules, might have to get ready for a court battle. Washington's legislature and governor defied the Federal Communications Commission's claim that states cannot implement their own net neutrality rules, and they are likely to face a lawsuit from Internet service providers or their lobby groups. But the legislation's primary sponsor, State Rep Drew Hansen (D-Bainbridge Island), is confident that the state will win in court.

March 8, the Voices for Internet Freedom coalition hosted a briefing for members of Congress and their staff about the disastrous policies the Federal Communications Commission is moving forward that would make it harder for poor people to access vital communications services. The FCC’s War on the Poor briefing brought together affected communities, advocates and policy experts for a panel discussion about the FCC’s proposal to roll back the Lifeline program, the vote to undo Title II Net Neutrality, and the agency’s refusal to stand up to predatory prison-phone companies.