Appeals Court Halts Net Neutrality Rules, Dealing Blow to Biden Administration – One America News Network
OAN Staff James Meyers
11:19 AM – Thursday, January 2, 2025
A U.S. appeals court announced on Tuesday that the Federal Communications Commission lacks the legal authority to restore key net neutrality regulations.
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A three-judge panel from the Cincinnati-based 6th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals stated that the FCC did not have the jurisdiction to revive the rules first established in 2015 under former President Barack Obama. These rules were subsequently repealed by the agency in 2017 during the presidency of Donald Trump.
President Joe Biden has advocated for the FCC to reinstate these regulations.
Net neutrality regulations require internet service providers (ISPs) to treat all internet data and users equally, prohibiting them from limiting access, throttling speeds, or blocking content for particular users. Additionally, these rules disallow special deals that would grant enhanced network speeds or privileges to “favored” users.
The appeals court referred to the Supreme Court’s June ruling in “Loper Bright Enterprises v. Raimondo,” which overturned a 1984 precedent that had typically granted deference to government agencies in interpreting the laws they oversee. “Utilizing Loper Bright allows us to put an end to the FCC’s indecision,” the court stated.
In April, the FCC voted along party lines to recommence regulatory oversight of broadband internet services and to restore open internet guidelines introduced in 2015 which had been revoked during the Trump administration. Following this, industry groups filed legal challenges that successfully secured a temporary halt to the reinstated regulations while the case was under consideration.
The proposed regulations would empower the FCC with new tools to combat Chinese telecommunications companies and the authority to monitor internet service interruptions.
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