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FCC overturns Obama-era net neutrality--three states plan to sue
by Joseph Earnest December 14, 2017
Newscast Media NEW YORK—The attorneys general of New York, Washington and California announced on Thursday that the three US states will file lawsuits against the Federal Communication Commission's (FCC) decision to reverse net neutrality regulations.
"This is not just an attack on the future of out internet," New York Attorney General Eric Schneideman said in a statement. "It is an attack on all New Yorkers, and on the integrity of every America's voice in government—and we will fight back."
Washington State Attorney General Bob Ferguson announced in a separate statement on Thursday his intention to file a legal challenge against the FCC's decision to roll back net neutrality. Ferguson said his office would file a petition for review in the coming days.
California Attorney General Xavier Becerra's office issued a statement saying the state would likely join the lawsuit. It also condemned the FCC's decision and vowed to ensure that the Internet "can continue to represent freedom and opportunity, innovation and fairness."
Earlier on Thursday, the FCC voted to repeal net neutrality rules imposed under former US President Barack Obama, saying the measure was needed to promote innovation and halt the government's micromanagement of the internet. A party-line vote ended the regulations, with three Republican commissioners on the five-member panel voting to end the rules.
The FCC's decision on Thursday means that the ISPs such as Verizon, AT&T and Comcast can now determine how consumers access web content as long as they disclose how they limit online traffic and to which web services or sites. The companies will also be able to offer varying tiers of speed and services to customers and slow access or charge more for certain content. Immediately following the vote, the American Civil Liberties Union and the New York Attorney General's Office said it will fight the decision in court, Deutsche Welle reported.
Consumer advocacy groups and technology companies have long championed net neutrality, which they say is needed to prevent big Internet service providers from slowing or blocking the delivery of competitors' content.
"Net neutrality is just the idea that your internet service provider can't interfere with your internet traffic when you're going to a website. They can't slow it down because they don't like your site or it's competitive to them and they can't charge you more to access certain websites," web designer and technologist Chris Garrafa told Radio Sputnik last month. Add Comments >>
Source: Sputnik
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