If you’ve been following our blog in recent years, you know that we have a deep interest in the principle of net neutrality. We have been pretty outspoken in our concern that Trump’s FCC would gut Obama’s 2015 net neutrality policies.
Last week’s US Court of Appeals ruling seemed, at first, to be a major victory for the FCC – but it’s far more complicated than those initial headlines proclaiming FCC “victory.” In fact, the FCC’s approach has opened the door to endless challenges from the states, weakening Federal controls overall:
If the federal rules, whatever they are, do not have precedence over state rules, then states are free to enact their own and expect companies to abide by them… This effectively makes the FCC’s national rules more of a lowest possible baseline than the law of the land. Having such inadequate and poorly justified rules in that role isn’t quite as scary.
~ Court says FCC’s ‘unhinged’ net neutrality repeal can’t stop state laws – Tech Crunch, 10.01.19
So buckle up because this bumpy ride is certain to continue… Here is some further reading on the subject that we can recommend:
- ~ Fahy, Carlucci & Advocates Call For Passage of Net Neutrality Legislation – The New York State Senate, 03.11.19
- ~ Net neutrality is alive and well after this week’s crushing court defeat – Quartz, 10.05.19
- ~ Trump’s FCC won a terrible victory in last week’s net neutrality ruling, but we’re still winning the war – Boing Boing, 10.07.19
- ~ Ajit Pai wins (and loses) in court as net neutrality repeal is mostly upheld – Ars Technica, 10.01.19
- ~ Appeals court ruling upholds FCC’s canceling of net neutrality rules – Washington Post, 10.01.19