Appeals Court Hands Obama Administration Major Win In Net Neutrality Case

[Grassy Knoll]

Source: huffingtonpost.com

WASHINGTON — In a long-awaited decision, a federal appeals court on Tuesday upheld the Obama administration’s net neutrality rules, dealing a punishing blow to telecom and cable companies that have sought to overturn the regulations.

Characterizing the government’s net neutrality effort as an “attempt to achieve internet openness” and “the principle that broadband providers must treat all internet traffic the same regardless of source,” the U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit concluded that the rules are legal under current law.

The Obama administration’s rules prevent internet service providers from charging content producers for faster or more reliable service, a practice known as “paid prioritization.” The rules also ban blocking and purposefully slowing the traffic of lawful services, and apply to both mobile and fixed broadband service.

Read more: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/court-obama-net-neutrality-rules_us_571a29dce4b0d4d3f722fc46

[bemildred]

1. Court upholds ‘net neutrality' rules for Internet access

A federal court on Tuesday upheld tough new regulations for online traffic in a major victory for President Obama and a blow to telecommunications companies, which challenged the net neutrality rules.

The U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit upheld the rules approved by the Federal Communications Commission last year on a partisan 3-2 vote after Obama personally urged their passage.

Two previous attempts by the FCC to put in place net neutrality regulations were thrown out by federal judges.

The regulations were proposed by FCC Chairman Tom Wheeler and strongly backed by Obama, who took the controversial step of publicly interjecting himself into an independent agency’s deliberations.

http://www.latimes.com/business/technology/la-fi-tn-net-neutrality-ruling-20160614-snap-story.html#nt=oft12aH-4la1

[dixiegrrrrl]

16. The FCC got over 400,000 emails from people like us.

THAT was a huge factor.

[Blue_Tires]

2. Epic kick

What happened? NN used to be a huge topic around here?

[Ohioblue22]

3. Trump winning will mean an end to it

[CaliforniaPeggy]

4. We must keep him from winning. n/t

[Scuba]

5. I'm saddened that I have to read the details to know if the headline is a good or bad thing.

In this case it's good.

[arcane1]

10. I was thinking the same thing. Sad indeed. n/t

[Jim Lane]

18. Add me to that list, too. :( n/t

[disillusioned73]

12. lol..

I had to do the same thing..

[Miles Archer]

13. "AT&T immediately announced it would appeal the ruling, saying it's always expected the issue...

...to be decided by the Supreme Court. Several industry trade groups are expected to join the effort."

[passiveporcupine]

15. Yeah, they will keep chipping away at it.

This part bothered me.

the D.C. Circuit concluded that the rules are legal under current law

We need to stay alert and keep on top of them.

[montana_hazeleyes]

21. I'm curious...

Why are you and others saying that?

[Scuba]

22. A lack of trust, but I only speak for myself.

[Drunken Irishman]

24. Na'. It's a lack of paying attention on your part.

Last edited Wed Jun 15, 2016, 10:15 AM - Edit history (1)

Don't put that on Obama. That's on you. If you had paid attention at all the last couple years, especially when it's come to these cases, you'd know Obama supports net neutrality and it was his FCC that made this order.

Pay more attention and don't pawn off your ignorance on some bullshit excuse that you can't trust Obama.

lol

[Scuba]

26. You don't know much about me ...

http://www.democraticunderground.com/1017226162#post3

[Drunken Irishman]

27. Clearly I do...

Again, don't blame Obama for your ignorance. That same guy you doubted turned around and supported net neutrality last year. If you had paid any attention to any news story around that time, you'd know this. But please, stop blaming your own ignorance on Obama. It's not his fault you don't pay attention to the news.

[Scuba]

28. I didn't force Obama to pick a telecomm industry insider to protect net neutrality. He did that.

Thankfully, people like me put enough pressure on them to force them to do the right thing. Remember "make me do it"?

It's not my ignorance that causes me to not trust him. It's that he's betrayed us too many times on too many issues and too many nominations.

[Drunken Irishman]

29. lol

You're something else. Not only are you absolutely, positively ignorant, and someone who can't even hold themselves accountable for their woefully pathetic ignorance, you're solely responsible for this - not Obama or the guy he picked.



God. There's nothing worse than a delusional ignorant person. Careful there, you're starting to sound like Donald Trump.

[mountain grammy]

23. Yeah, me too.

[Sgent]

6. Tom Wheeler defeats the broadband industry: Net neutrality wins in court

http://arstechnica.com/tech-policy/2016/06/net-neutrality-and-title-ii-win-in-court-as-isps-lose-case-against-fcc/

ISPs' First Amendment claims (among others) were rejected. "Because a broadband provider does not—and is not understood by users to—'speak' when providing neutral access to Internet content as common carriage, the First Amendment poses no bar to the open internet rules," judges wrote in a decision released today by the US Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit (full text).

The net neutrality order, passed over a year ago, is FCC Chairman Tom Wheeler's signature move during a whirlwind time as head of the commission.

“Today’s ruling is a victory for consumers and innovators who deserve unfettered access to the entire Web, and it ensures the Internet remains a platform for unparalleled innovation, free expression and economic growth," Wheeler said in a statement issued shortly after the ruling. "After a decade of debate and legal battles, today’s ruling affirms the Commission’s ability to enforce the strongest possible internet protections—both on fixed and mobile networks—that will ensure the internet remains open, now and in the future.”

AT&T promised to appeal, saying, "We have always expected this issue to be decided by the Supreme Court, and we look forward to participating in that appeal."

[cstanleytech]

7. Good, hopefully it will also survive any SCOTUS challenge as well. NT

[2naSalit]

9. That's what I was thinking too...nt

[rurallib]

11. right now at 4-4 it probably will

which is why a democratic president is so important.
Democratic congress would be nice also.

[cstanleytech]

17. Not to mention more Democratic controlled state governments since the Republican ones are corrupt.

[vkkv]

8. Thank wonders for small and what-should-be-obvious victories.. sheesh.. NT

[Equinox Moon]

14. "legal under current law"

"Under current law"
I am very glad for the ruling, yet know the lobbyists are probably already at work on changing the law(s) to be in their favor.

We must work hard to prevent the oligarchy from growing.

[Dark n Stormy Knight]

19. Exactly. Money buys influence. It is all too easy for those with

money to get laws passed that make what they want to do legal. Now matter how unfair or otherwise despicable those laws might be.

[lostnfound]

20. Great news but removing roadblocks to community wifi would be even better

We Americans settle for the smallest scraps from our corporate overlords.

[BlancheSplanchnik]

25. GOOD!

This is GOOOOD news.


We need some.