Federal Court Terminates FCC’s Net-Neutrality Regulations

A federal appeals court on Thursday terminated the Federal Communications Commission’s (FCC) long-standing attempt to implement stricter regulations over the internet.

Net neutrality regulations require internet service providers to facilitate access to all websites and content providers at uniform rates and speeds, irrespective of their size or the nature of their content. The Sixth Circuit Court of Appeals said that the FCC does not possess the authority to regulate wireless and home-broadband services under the regulatory framework that has historically applied to telephone services, according to The Wall Street Journal,

The decision follows the Supreme Court’s reversal of the Chevron deference earlier this summer, a legal precedent that had allowed federal agencies broader discretion in interpreting ambiguous statutory language. The court’s rejection effectively strips the FCC of its expanded interpretative reach.

Reacting to the court’s verdict, outgoing Democratic FCC Chairwoman Jessica Rosenworcel said that the demand for “fast, open, and fair” internet service persists among consumers. Rosenworcel, as the WSJ reported, said Congress should enshrine these principles into federal legislation. She also said the FCC’s regulatory endeavors have reached an impasse.

This policy, as the WSJ said, quickly became a contentious battleground. Telecommunication giants have opposed what they say is the potential for increasingly restrictive regulations. They said such efforts are a gateway to heavier-handed government control.