Regulatory classification

On Dec 14, the Federal Communications Commission voted to abolish network neutrality regulations. The same day, California State Senator Scott Wiener (D-CA-11) released a video saying that he wanted to revive those policies in state law. Now his bill, SB822, hits the California legislature, with co-sponsors – all of whom are Democrats – in the Senate and Assembly. If the legislation passes, and allies in states like New York and New Jersey also introduce bills, a huge chunk of the US population and economy would be subject to regulations that the federal government adamantly opposes.

[Commentary] As Congress is considering whether to overrule the Federal Communications Commission’s net neutrality vote, to write a new Communications Act, or both, it would be good to review what leading economic research has said about the issues.

[Speech} You are a force for optimism—and I want to harness your energies this morning to help solve what I call the Homework Gap. After I talk about that, I’ll follow up with a few thoughts about other matters of interest before the Federal Communications Commission. Shool-aged kids without
broadband access at home are not only unable to complete their homework, they enter the job market with a serious handicap. I have some ideas—and that’s where you come in. 

[Press release] The number of mayors pledging to refuse to do business with online gatekeepers has grown to 12 since New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio unveiled MayorsForNetNeutrality.org on March 11. Mayor De Blasio is now working with Free Press and others to get more US mayors to sign the Cities Open Internet Pledge.

Twelve lawsuits filed against the Federal Communications Commission over its network neutrality repeal have been consolidated into one suit that will be heard at a federal appeals court in California. The 12 lawsuits were filed by more than three dozen entities, including state attorneys general, consumer advocacy groups, and tech companies. Here's a list of who filed the 12 lawsuits against the FCC:

[Commentary] The threats to the web today are real – from misinformation and questionable political advertising to a loss of control over our personal data. But I remain committed to making sure the web is a free, open, creative space – for everyone. That vision is only possible if we get everyone online, and make sure the web works for people. I founded the Web Foundation to fight for the web’s future. Here’s where we must focus our efforts:

[Commentary] Exactly two years ago, I predicted in a lengthy post that eight major Internet policy initiative undertaken by the Federal Communications Commission under then-Chairman Tom Wheeler would fall victim, sooner rather than later, to legal and political challenges. As of last week, all of them have now been sent down the memory hole, including the agency’s radical 2015 decision to “reclassify” broadband Internet as a public utility, subject to a small mountain of rules developed in the 1930’s for the former Bell monopoly.

App developer Panic Inc. knew it had a network problem when customers began complaining about trouble downloading and updating Panic apps. "Geez, your downloads are really slow!" was the common complaint that started coming in a few months ago, Panic co-founder Cabel Sasser explained.

Lawsuits looking to strike down the Federal Communications Commission's repeal of its own network neutrality rules will be heard in the US Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit. Unless they don't. Some or all of the plaintiffs could push to move the arguments to the DC Circuit, where the case against the net neutrality rules was litigated. The lottery to decide the location of the court arguments was the result of lawsuits filed against the FCC in different jurisdictions. 

The US Judicial Panel on Multidistrict Litigation randomly selected the United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit to hear the consolidated challenges to the Federal Communications Commission's repeal of net neutrality rules. A dozen challenges [including one filed by the Benton Foundation] have been filed by 22 state attorneys general, public interest groups, internet companies, a California county and the state’s Public Utilities Commission seeking to block the Trump administration’s repeal of landmark rules designed to ensure a free and open internet from taking effect