WASHINGTON, June 14 (UPI) — Net neutrality rules, obligating Internet providers to treat all web traffic equally, were upheld Tuesday in a federal appeals court.
A three-judge panel from the Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia affirmed that broadband Internet service should be regulated as a utility, part of the practice established in 2015 by the Federal Communications Commission.
While the new rules offered greater protection to Internet users and the FCC more authority to police broadband companies, they initiated a series of lawsuits brought by cable, telecom and wireless Internet providers who said that the FCC overstepped its authority.
The web equality concept was supported by the White House. FCC Chairman Tom Wheeler, in a statement, called Tuesday’s court decision a “victory for consumers and innovators who deserve unfettered access to the entire web… 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.”
A variety of broadband trade groups, including AT&T and CenturyLink, filed the lawsuit to overturn the FCC order. More lawsuits from broadband providers are expected in the wake of the decision.
Google and Netflix are among companies favoring net neutrality; they have warned officials that without some government regulatory limits, broadband companies could slow Internet traffic or unfairly promote their own products at the expense of competitors.
The court’s decision, which includes a definition of broadband as a utility, indicates a reinforcement of government’s belief that Web access is not a luxury requiring little supervision but a service to be made equally accessible to all Americans.
