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Broadband Industry Files Suit Over New Neutrality Rules

A broadband industry trade group today filed suit in an attempt to overturn the FCC's new net neutrality rules. US Telecom, which represents AT&T, Verizon and other ISPs, filed a lawsuit in the U.S. Court of Appeals for the DC Circuit. Meanwhile, small Texas broadband provider Alamo Broadband filed suit in the U.S. appeals court in New Orleans.

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Both lawsuits claim the FCC overstepped its authority in issuing the new rules and classifying ISPs as common carriers under Title II of the Commucations Act. The companies also claim the rules violate broadband ISPs' First Amendment rights.

"The focus of our legal appeal will be on the FCC's decision to reclassify broadband Internet access service as a public utility service after a decade of amazing innovation and investment under the FCC's previous light-touch approach," USTelecom said in a statement.

The FCC has repeatedly stated that while they reclassified ISPs under Title II, they will forbear from most of the sections of Title II that apply to utilities, including rate regulation or a return to local loop unbundling. The agency reclassified ISPs in the hopes of putting previously overturned rules on more secure legal footing, and industry lawsuits were expected.

Consumer groups like Free Press were unsurprisingly unimpressed by the suits.

"The DC lawyers and lobbyists for these companies have been out of touch with reality from the start, busily trying to scare lawmakers away from the restoration of these common sense safeguards for the Open Internet with false tales about harms to investment and innovation," the group said in a statement. "These companies have threatened all along to sue over the FCC's decision, even though that decision is supported by millions of people and absolutely essential for our economy."

USTelecom Net neutrality lawsuit


Most recommended from 61 comments


54761437 (banned)
join:2013-01-18
Durham, NC

14 recommendations

54761437 (banned)

Member

LOL

>"after a decade of amazing innovation"

LOLOLOL That's a good one, US Shillicom. Oh God. Somebody get KennyWest in here. I'm not done laughing yet.
Slyster
join:2015-01-08
Sugar Grove, VA

9 recommendations

Slyster

Member

Do they realize..

That it should have been much more? These companies are sitting on millions and sometimes billions worth of profit and doing nothing with it outside of trying to buyout all competition. They needed a bigger kick in the pants and like have them wire the entire country or get the heck out of the business.

When did corporations get rights? What about consumer rights? It is ok for them to screw over people who live in the US but when they have to bend a little they run to a corner and cry about it.

If they just STFU and did their job after getting massive breaks then this would have never needed to happen even though it was a really light touch. They better be glad pricing and profit monitoring and expansions ( to make sure money is reinvested into their own networks ) werent part of the rules.
Darrin359
join:2015-03-19
Apex, NC

6 recommendations

Darrin359

Member

Innovation

I think this is what they mean lmfao.

buddahbless
join:2005-03-21
Premium

5 recommendations

buddahbless

Member

First amendment .... really ?

I cant believe they had the audacity to throw that in there, the first amendment rights of a company? that made me laugh. I hope our government realizes the monster they helped to create and reverses the previous rules on the books giving companies the rights of a citizen. Hopefully with the suit they now see how foolish that ruling was and 86 it.

IowaCowboy
Lost in the Supermarket
Premium Member
join:2010-10-16
Springfield, MA

3 recommendations

IowaCowboy

Premium Member

Hopefully it will be thrown out

Hopefully it will be thrown out. It is without merit.

When you access easements and public right of way, you give up certain rights.

If Title II is thrown out, then I hope the government's next step is antitrust suits against AT&T, Comcast, and Verizon to separate data transport from the ISP/content side of things. Then Verizon will really regret challenging Net Neutrality.

lawsuit
@tmodns.net

3 recommendations

lawsuit

Anon

sue them

Sue them for anti competitive behavior, anti trust violations, violations of the aup (which they'll just change), file complaints with the FTC and DOJ.

Do a mini class action where lots of customers sue individually.