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
![](https://www.benton.org/sites/default/files/styles/thumbnail/public/fcc-official-logo-tn_771.jpg?itok=Nm5r8g4k)
FCC to Start Proceeding on Reestablishing Open Internet Protections
The Federal Communications Commission launched a new proceeding on restoring open internet protections for consumers and businesses. The FCC also will seek comment on proposals to ensure broadband services have effective oversight. If the proposals are adopted after the public comment period and review of that record, the FCC would once again be permitted to protect internet openness and competition, protect broadband networks from national security threats, and address public safety needs like internet outages.
![](https://www.benton.org/sites/default/files/styles/thumbnail/public/rosenworcel-chairwoman_11.jpg?itok=vAbEUzoJ)
Ten Facts About Net Neutrality Protections
- Broadband is essential: A lot has changed since the previous Federal Communications Commission repealed net neutrality. A devastating pandemic reaffirmed the essential nature of broadband access to protect the health and economic security of all Americans.
- Abdicated oversight: The 2017 FCC approach was not “light touch.” It was a complete abdication of authority.
- Targeted approach: Chairwoman Rosenworcel’s approach is targeted, not heavy-handed.
![](https://www.benton.org/sites/default/files/styles/thumbnail/public/carr_21.jpg?itok=9cLkkoZV)
Commissioner Carr: The Title II Debate Was Settled When The Internet Didn't Break
The Federal Communications Commission will begin implementing President Biden’s plan for increasing government control of the Internet. There will be lots of talk about “net neutrality” and virtually none about the core issue before the agency: namely, whether the FCC should claim for itself the freewheeling power to micromanage nearly every aspect of how the Internet functions—from the services that consumers can access to the prices that can be charged. The entire debate over whether Title II regulations are necessary or justified was settled years ago.
Biden’s FCC Revives the Longest-Running Policy Fight in Tech
The Federal Communications Commission is heading into the next round of Washington’s longest-running fight over technology policy. On Oct. 19 the agency is slated to take a preliminary vote to reassert its authority to regulate broadband providers, clearing the way to pass a version of the net neutrality rules that it eviscerated during the Trump administration.
What Is Net Neutrality? Myths and Realities
Federal Communications Commission Chairwoman Jessica Rosenworcel announced her plan to restore the agency’s rightful authority to protect internet users. To undermine this effort, the industry has cranked up its Title II myth machine.
![](https://www.benton.org/sites/default/files/styles/thumbnail/public/ustelecom-logo_19.png?itok=XpY5snsn)
USTelecom Letter to House and Senate Intelligence Committees on Cybersecurity and Title II
While this is not the first time the Federal Communications Commission has pursued Title II regulation purportedly to address net neutrality, it is the first time the FCC has reached beyond the no blocking, degrading, or prioritizing principles to which broadband providers already adhere. The FCC is veering into the complex realm of cybersecurity and national security via top-down regulation rather than collaborative partnership, a choice many experts view with skepticism.
Supreme Court To Hear Case That Could Weaken FCC
The Supreme Court has agreed to hear a case in early 2024 that could impact how much regulatory discretion the FCC has over the communications industry. The court agreed to hear the case of Relentless Inc., et al. v. Dept. of Commerce, et al. The case is about a federal rule requiring fishing companies to pay for government monitoring of their herring catches.
![](https://www.benton.org/sites/default/files/styles/thumbnail/public/benton_2_354.png?itok=9B-lGW1m)
Benton Institute, Public Knowledge, et al. urge FCC action on open internet petitions
The Benton Institute for Broadband & Society, Public Knowledge, Free Press, the United Church of Christ, OC, Inc. Leadership Conference, USC Gould School of Law and Office of the County Counsel, and the County of Santa Clara spoke with Federal Communications Commission General Counsel staff on Oct. 5, 2023, regarding net neutrality.
![](https://www.benton.org/sites/default/files/styles/thumbnail/public/fcc-official-logo-tn_763.jpg?itok=3DiltKLA)
How Net Neutrality Protects Consumers & Speech
A fact sheet on how net neutrality protects consumers and online freedom of speech. Open internet protections have long had widespread – upwards of 80 percent – support from the American people who have come to expect that they will be able to access all lawful content on the internet uninhibited by their broadband service provider’s business decisions. Across administrations from 2005 to 2018, it was the clear policy of the FCC to enforce open internet standards.
![](https://www.benton.org/sites/default/files/styles/thumbnail/public/CCG_55.png?itok=QEOGf-jQ)
Defining Broadband Discrimination
One of the provisions of the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (IIJA) is that it requires the Federal Communications Commission to “take steps to ensure that all people of the United States benefit from equal access to broadband internet access within the service area of a provider of such service.” In legalese, the term equal access, in this case, means that consumers should be able to expect to get the same speed, capacity, and latency as other customers buying the same product from the same internet service provider (ISP) sold elsewhere.