Free Press and Other Groups Urge Court to Deny Request for Rehearing of Net Neutrality Case
WASHINGTON — On Monday, Free Press joined other open internet advocacy organizations and allies in filing a joint response with the D.C. Circuit Court of Appeals supporting that court’s June 2016 decision to uphold the Federal Communications Commission’s Net Neutrality rules.
The action follows a petition from several phone and cable companies and their lobbying groups requesting an en banc rehearing of the court’s ruling. The groups supporting open Internet safeguards stated that the court's June decision was not in conflict with prior precedent, and that the issues industry groups raised do not warrant a rehearing.
Their filing is available here: http://www.freepress.net/sites/default/files/resources/opposition_to_rehearing_of_open_internet_appeal.pdf
Free Press Policy Director Matt Wood made the following statement:
“The court correctly affirmed the FCC’s rules and its reclassification of broadband internet access as a common-carrier service. The industry requests for a rehearing are just more sour grapes from a phone and cable lobby dead-set on dismantling the FCC’s successful Net Neutrality decision. The D.C. Circuit was abundantly clear when it upheld the FCC’s rules in June. The FCC is acting within its well-defined authority to prevent internet service providers from unfairly interfering with our communications. The judges recognized the vital role the open internet plays in our society, a view that’s supported by the millions of people who contacted the FCC in support of the Net Neutrality protections.
“Last-ditch efforts like these petitions for rehearing are unlikely to succeed. Big phone and cable companies obviously have plenty of money to waste on high-priced lawyers. But they should give up their foolish quest to overturn rules that do no harm to their business but provide enormous benefits to internet users.”
