The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) voted 3-2 on Tuesday to leave the 2017 repeal of landmark net neutrality rules unchanged even after a U.S. court directed a review of some provisions.
A federal appeals court in October 2019 largely upheld the FCC’s December 2017 repeal of net neutrality rules, but ordered the agency to reconsider the repeal’s impact on public safety, regulations on attachments to utility poles and the agency’s ability to provide subsidies for broadband service. The FCC majority opted to leave the order unchanged.
“We welcome the FCC’s decision today to adopt an Order on Remand that strongly reaffirms its fundamental decision in the Restoring Internet Freedom Order. Addressing certain issues raised by a court reviewing that Order, the Commission has concluded the Order reclassifying broadband as an information service promotes public safety, furthers broadband deployment, and supports the Lifeline program,” Internet Innovation Alliance (IIA), chaired by Congressman Rick Boucher, said.
“Today’s vote encourages rapid deployment of advanced broadband services, reaffirms U.S. global leadership in broadband, and brings our national goal of universal broadband closer. A light-touch regulatory framework for rapidly-evolving broadband networks is the best policy approach, both now and in the future,” IIA said.
