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US telecoms try to kill net neutrality by blocking key rules
The big US telecoms are trying every trick in the book to kill net neutrality, and that includes some very specific tactics. AT&T, CenturyLink and multiple industry groups have sent filings to the FCC asking it to block specific procedures, not the neutrality rules themselves. They want to stop the Commission from both reclassifying the internet as a utility and implementing a standard that prevents providers from "unreasonably interfering" with your internet access. Purportedly, these moves would require "crushing" costs and might chill investments in network upgrades -- arguments we've definitely heard before.
Carrier alliance sues to stop net neutrality rules
That didn't take long. The FCC's tougher net neutrality rules have only just been published in the federal register, and the lawsuits are already pouring in. The US Telecom Association has filed a suit claiming that the utility-style regulation of internet access is an "arbitrary and capricious" violation of US law. As you'd expect, the carriers still say they embrace net neutrality -- they just want the previous "light-touch" enforcement that has supposedly worked so far. We're sure that Netflix and other challengers would beg to differ, but that's now a matter for the courts to decide. [Image credit: The Washington Post/Getty Images]
ISPs are suing the FCC to fight new net neutrality rules
As anticipated, now that the new net neutrality rules are here lawsuits have closely followed. The Washington Post reports that industry group USTelecom -- which counts Verizon and AT&T execs among its board members -- filed suit in Washington, while small ISP Alamo Broadband (its website is powered by Wordpress) is suing in New Orleans. USTelecom has opposed the Title II powers invoked by the FCC's new rules, and isn't waiting until they're published in the Federal Register before suing. A Verizon lawsuit knocked down the FCC's previous net neutrality protections, and this next round is only just getting started. [Image credit: AP Images for Avaaz]
