The FCC wanted to reinstate some net neutrality rules, but a U.S. appeals court has temporarily blocked the decision, siding with broadband providers challenging the regulations.
This decision came after the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) voted to resume oversight of broadband internet earlier this year. According to Reuters, the court’s appeal is a setback to President Joe Biden’s attempt to reinstate the rules, which would require that internet service providers treat all internet data and users equally. These rules were first adopted under President Barack Obama’s administration and then were rescinded under President Donald Trump’s administration.
New oral arguments will be scheduled for late October or early November, which, if you’re familiar with the election calendar, falls around the same time as the presidential election.
The court wrote, “The final rule implicates a major question, and the commission has failed to satisfy the high bar for imposing such regulations. Net neutrality is likely a major question requiring clear congressional authorization.”
FCC Chair Jessica Rosenworcel told Fox Business, in response to the decision, “The American public wants an internet that is fast, open, and fair. Today’s decision by the Sixth Circuit is a setback, but we will not give up the fight for net neutrality.”
As Mashable has previously reported, net neutrality is an internet anti-discrimination principle that would lead us toward an “open internet.” It tends to be a particularly partisan issue, and with the issue continuously battled in the courts, we may not know its future until we know which party will lead the nation this November.
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