The F.C.C. had voted in April to restore net neutrality regulations, which expand government oversight of broadband providers and aim to protect consumer access to the internet. The regulations were first put in place nearly a decade ago under the Obama administration and were aimed at preventing internet service providers like Verizon or Comcast from blocking or degrading the delivery of services from competitors like Netflix and YouTube. The rules were repealed under President-elect Donald J. Trump in his first administration, but they continued to be a contentious partisan issue that pit tech giants against broadband providers.
The court’s decision put an end to the Biden administration’s hallmark tech policy, which had drawn impassioned support from consumer groups and tech giants like Google and fierce protests from telecommunications giants like Comcast and AT&T.
Thursday’s decision effectively concludes the back-and-forth battle. Brendan Carr, whom Mr. Trump has named as the incoming F.C.C. chair, has been a strong critic of net neutrality. The court’s reliance on the Loper case in its ruling could also portend more lawsuits to hollow out federal regulations at the F.C.C. and other agencies.
In a statement, Mr. Carr said that he was “pleased” by the decision and that “the work to unwind the Biden administration’s regulatory overreach will continue.”
The court’s decision doesn’t affect state laws on net neutrality in California, Washington and Colorado. Democrats at the F.C.C. called on Thursday for Congress to create laws promoting net neutrality, signaling that the issue may continue to fester. [or bubble?]
“Consumers across the country have told us again and again that they want an internet that is fast, open, and fair,” said Jessica Rosenworcel, the chairwoman of the F.C.C. and a Democrat who had pushed for the reinstatement of the rules. “It is clear that Congress now needs to heed their call, take up the charge for net neutrality and put open internet principles in federal law.”
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