Last Thursday three federal judges on the 6th Circuit Court of Appeals struck down net neutrality. They ruled that the FCC lacks the authority to reinstate rules that prevented broadband providers from slowing down or outright blocking access to internet content. That means that companies, like Comcast — which own both content (like NBC-Universal) and broadband — can slow or block access to internet content that it doesn’t own.
This is a big deal. It’s an issue I worked on in the Senate where we won victories that preserved net neutrality so that content providers like, say, Netflix can get its content delivered at the same speed as, say, the Summer Olympics, which Comcast produces.
Unfortunately, the circuit court cited SCOTUS’ Loper Bright decision from last term, which gave the courts (and not administrative agencies) authority over interpreting legislation written by Congress.
It means that the FCC no longer has the right to assure consumers of internet content that they will have access to programming that they heretofore have had access. Which is crummy.
Is there a solution? Yes. States like California and Washington have already written net neutrality into their laws. Or Congress could write a law requiring net neutrality. But that’s not something this Congress is going to do. So, good luck watching the Tennis Channel in red states.
The solution? Democrats winning state legislatures and both houses of Congress. And governorships.
That’s why Midwest Values PAC is in the business of helping Democrats get elected.
We’re in for the long haul. I hope you can help!
Al
P.S. Comcast owns NBC, so you will be able to watch the celebration of SNL’s 50th season coming in mid-February.
