On May 6, 2010, FCC Chairman Julius Genachowski announced that the Commission would soon launch a public process seeking comment on the options for a legal framwork for regulating broadband services.
Regulatory classification
In light of recent decisions by the Federal Communications Commission (FCC), I invite you to join the Voices for Internet Freedom Coalition, a coalition of organizations fighting to protect the digital rights of communities of color, for a lunch briefing focused on Lifeline, Net Neutrality, and other recent FCC decisions. The briefing will be held Thursday, March 8th from 12:00 – 1:30 pm in Rayburn 2044.
Will the FCC’s net neutrality repeal grind the Internet to a halt?
Will consumers see a sharp drop in Internet speeds because of the repeal of net neutrality rules? We can’t help but feel that we’ve spilled a lot of pixels here analyzing something that simply hasn’t happened. Senate Democrats, industry leaders and net neutrality activists say the FCC’s move to toss out the Obama-era rules will bog down and end the Internet as we know it. The biggest broadband providers forcefully reject this claim, saying they have no plans to block or throttle content or offer paid prioritization. That could change in time. As the D.C.
Charter appeals court loss, still claims it can’t be punished for slow speeds
Charter Communications is appealing a court ruling that said the ISP must face a lawsuit alleging the company falsely promised fast Internet speeds that Charter knew it could not deliver. Charter claims that federal regulations, including the recent repeal of net neutrality rules, preempts the lawsuit filed by New York Attorney General Eric Schneiderman against Charter and its Time Warner Cable (TWC) subsidiary in February 2017. The New York Supreme Court rejected Charter's motion to dismiss the case on February 16, but Charter is appealing the decision in a state appellate court.
Washington State just passed the country’s toughest net neutrality legislation
Washington State has passed sweeping legislation to regulate internet access for its residents. The bill cleared the state senate on a 35-to-14 vote, with bipartisan support. It had already blown through the house of representatives by 93-to-5 on February 9, and Gov Jay Inslee (D-WA) is on record as ready to sign it. Washington’s law applies to all Internet service providers that serve residents, whether or not they have state deals. All internet service offered in Washington would have to be free from blocking or throttling of legal online content.
House Commerce Chairman Walden warns Big Tech: Step up or be regulated
House Commerce Committee Chairman Greg Walden (R-OR) launched an attack on the market power of large tech companies. "I’m not looking for a lot of regulation, I’m looking for responsibility," Chairman Walden said. "If responsibility doesn’t flow, then regulation will." Chairman Walden raised multiple areas for possible regulation:
Remarks of Commissioner Mignon Clyburn at the Disability Advisory Committee
[Speech] With more than 50 million people identified as having a disability in this country, it is critical that both legacy communications services and those new and emerging technologies are accessible to all. That is why I believe we must discuss these issues, not just when a rulemaking has “accessibility” in its title, but in each and every proceeding before the Commission. By this I mean, if a proceeding will impact the general public, we must include in that discussion, how those living with a disability will be impacted.
Inside the huge, low-profile alliance fighting to save the FCC’s net neutrality rules
Every week, a motley crew of tech wonks and legal experts meet in Washington to discuss the problem they've been grappling with for almost a year now: how to save the Federal Communications Commission's net neutrality rules. Of the 70 to 80 regulars in the gathering, a few hail from industry groups such as the Internet Association — one of Silicon Valley's biggest lobbying operations — or the small-telco trade association INCOMPAS, according to people familiar with the matter.
FCC Chairman Pai warns companies after net neutrality shake-up
Federal Communications Commission Chairman Ajit Pai pledged to clamp down on any unfair behaviour by US broadband companies following the scrapping of net neutrality rules, saying “fear mongering” about the internet will gradually fade. "Some of the headlines that, quote, this is the end of internet as we know it have been proven completely wrong.
Critiques of 2017 FCC Comment Process Also Apply to 2014
[Analysis] Criticisms of the 2017 Restoring Internet Freedom process apply also to the 2014 Open Internet process. A key difference between the comment process in 2017 compared to 2014 is that form letters became more sophisticated and more difficult to identify. In the future, bad actors are likely to continue improving their ability to make form letters appear unique, hide their origins, or simply make the comment process unmanageable.
Benton Sues FCC Over Restoring Internet Freedom Order
The Benton Foundation marked the Feb 27 OneMoreVote network neutrality activist day by filing suit against the Federal Communications Commission's Dec. 14 decision to roll back network neutrality rules. "The Restoring Internet Freedom order will allow giant telecommunications companies to create 'fast lanes' and other discriminatory practices that will stifle innovation and diminish the Internet as a platform for free expression," said Benton Executive Director Adrianne Furniss.