The leading pioneers of the internet have called on Congress to pressure the FCC to cancel its December 14 vote on the FCC’s proposed Restoring Internet Freedom Order repealing net neutrality and then some. The pioneers rebuke FCC Chairman Ajit Pai with a blunt statement – “You Don’t Understand How the Internet Works“. The Pioneers…
Why FCC Chairman Ajit Pai is CLBR’s Zero of the Year For the past several years, the web radio program I host (Cyber Law & Business Report) has had a year-end “Heroes and Zeros” show in which we assemble a panel to highlight those doing wonderful things on the internet and those deserving a cyber…
It’s Time to Speak Up to Save Your Internet Today is the Internet-Wide Day of Action to Save Net Neutrality, in which more than 50,000 people, sites, and organizations, including Amazon, Etsy Facebook, Google, Kickstarter, Mozilla, Netflix, OK Cupid, Reddit, Twitter and Vimeo, will demonstrate to oppose the Federal Communications Commission’s (FCC) plan to…
Federal Communications Commission Chairman Ajit Pai sat down with the leadership of the Internet Association, which touts itself as the only trade association that exclusively represents leading global internet companies on matters of public policy, on the issues of Net Neutrality, privacy and TCPA. A summarized by the association, IA expressed its “vigorous support” for the Open…
2015: The Net Neutrality Order In February 2015, the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) voted 3-2 to treat internet service as a telecommunication service under Title II of the Communications Act of 1934 and adopted rules prohibiting broadband providers from (i) blocking “lawful content, applications, services, or non-harmful devices or throttling, degrading or impairing access to the same;” (ii) favoring traffic in…
Free Press’ Matt Wood Returns to Discuss the Trump FCC’s Assault on Net Neutrality Net Neutrality as a Star Wars Trilogy A Net Neutrality Reader Net Neutrality Timeline: How We Got Here FCC Approves Net Neutrality and Preempts State Muni-Broadband Restrictions Websites Challenge Exceptions to Data Caps as Violating Net Neutrality DC Circuit Affirms FCC…
Earlier we reported how new Federal Communications Commission Chairman Ajit Pai had shut down ongoing investigation into wireless carriers’ free-data offerings as violating the FCC’s net neutrality rules. This week Pai chaired his first FCC meeting and one of the agenda items involves the “Transparency Rule” stemming from the net neutrality rules. The FCC’s Open Internet Transparency…
In 2015, the Federal Communications Commission began investigating whether certain wireless provider’s “free” data plans violated the FCC’s net neutrality rules. A coalition of internet groups, including Reddit, Yelp, Kickstarter, Etsy, Medium, Meetup, and Foursquare, among many others, along with digital and consumer advocacy groups, including Common Cause, Engine, and Fight for the Future, asked…
In a 2-1 opinion, the D.C. Circuit Court of Appeals upheld the Federal Communications Commission Open Internet Order with Judges Tatel and Srinivan for the Majority and Judge Williams in dissent. The court issued a 115-page decision with a 69-page dissent. We will have a summary posted shortly. FCC Chairman Wheeler issued the following statement…
A coalition that includes Reddit, Yelp, Kickstarter, Etsy, Medium, Meetup, and Foursquare, among many others, along with digital and consumer advocacy groups, including Common Cause, Engine, and Fight for the Future, are asking the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) to examine whether zero-rating plans which exempt particular services from carrier data caps violates the FCC’s Net…
FCC’s Historic Day: Net Neutrality and Muni-Broadband Protection As expected, on February 26, 2015 the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) voted 3-2 in favor of adopting net neutrality rules under its Title II authority. For a detailed background on the issue check out our prior post Net Neutrality Timeline: How We Got Here and my discussion of the…
Today is the last day to submit comments to the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) on its proposed rule making on Protecting and Promoting the Open Internet (GN Docket No. 14-28). Nearly 700,000 Americans have done so to date, mine is below. When the Net Neutrality debate first emerged, critics dismissed the concept as a…
Who Get’s The Last Laugh on Net Neutrality Some of the best explanations of Net Neutrality have been offered by Comedy Central and its alumni. Last night it was John Oliver who offered a scathing assessment of the Federal Communication Commission’s recent capitulation on Net Neutrality. Oliver ended by urging listeners to submit comments…
DC Circuit Overturns FCC Net Neutrality Rules For the second time in four years, we are confronted with a Federal Communications Commission effort to compel broadband providers to treat all Internet traffic the same regardless of source—or to require, as it is popularly known, “net neutrality.” In Comcast Corp. v. FCC, 600 F.3d 642 (D.C. Cir. 2010), we held that the Commission…
Last fall, the net neutrality debate was at its zenith with the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) issuing its Open Internet Order (codifying the FCC’s Net Neutrality Principles) followed by an intense battle on Capitol Hill in which the order narrowly escaped being reversed when Republicans failed in getting the Democratic controlled Senate to follow the Republican House of Representatives in reversing the rule by a 46-52 vote .…
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