Legal Niches

FCC Approves New Net Neutrality Rules

By james_fudge

The Federal Communications Commission today officially adopted net neutrality rules today. As expected, Democratic FCC Chairman Julius Genachowski and the two other Democratic Commissioners, Michael Copps and Mignon Clyburn voted yes on the rules, while the two Republican Commissioners, Robert McDowell and Meredith Attwell Baker, voted against it. The rules passed in a 3 to 2 vote. All of them seemed to agree that the FCC's authority to enforce the new net neutrality rules was a big fat question mark.

Republicans McDowell and Baker pointed to the FCC's loss in federal court earlier this year against Comcast for violating net neutrality principles. The Commissioners believe that the FCC has no legal authority to apply such rules.

Democrats on the commission, who seemed to reluctantly vote for the new rules, said the FCC should probably consider reclassifying broadband traffic under Title II of the Telecommunications Act. Read More

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Full post as published by GamePolitics.com on December 21, 2010 (boomark / email).