Net Neutrality Under Attack

With complete disregard to the recent FCC ruling and the wishes of the American citizens, the lobbying group USTelecom filed their appeal to block the Federal Communications Commission's decision to reclassify broadband internet as a Title II utility. USTelecom represents AT&T, Verizon, and other broadband internet providers.

USTelecom, filed their suit in the Washington, D.C. Federal Appellate Court on Monday. The FCC says that challenges can be filed up to 60 days after its net neutrality rules are published in the Federal Register, which is expected to be made public in the next few days.

“We do not believe the Federal Communications Commission’s move to utility-style regulation invoking Title II authority is legally sustainable.”

“Therefore, we are filing a petition to protect our procedural rights in challenging the recently adopted open Internet order.” - USTelecom President Walter McCormick

Consumer advocacy groups all agree, and say that the Title II classification is the right way to classify broadband internet.

Greed is a cancer. It knows not limits nor contentment, it will reach out and up, from any and every legal or imagined loophole to keep taking, feeding off an unsuspecting public to no end. If USTelecom and their like, gets their way, it will only lead to price wars with the big players who will in turn pass their costs of operation to the consumer, and drive already unreasonable prices even higher for all.

This battle will rage for some time to come, and I imagine that it will not get settled once and for all until it reaches the Supreme Court. Below is a clip of the FCC's recent ruling declaring that broadband internet is a public utility.

The big question might be, are we safe now? Yes, these companies cannot disregard the law, they can only try to change it. For the time being, internet as you know it will remain the same.