The FCC is seeking a fresh round of comments on issues related to Net Neutrality. In what current Chairman Ajit Pai’s FCC called the Restoring Internet Freedom Order, the FCC scrapped the Net Neutrality regime previously imposed by the Commission when it was led by Chairman Tom Wheeler during the Obama Administration. The Pai-led deregulation resulted in a Court challenge.
The U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit remanded the matter for further consideration by the Commission, including how the “Restoring Internet Freedom Order” might affect public safety.
By means of this Public Notice, the Commission is seeking comment on this and two other issues, the third of which deals with the Commission’s Lifeline program, which is designed to support the provision of broadband service to qualifying low-income consumers.
Interested parties may file Comments and Reply Comments electronically using the ECFS system. Comments are due by March 30. Reply Comments are due by April 29.
Commissioner Jessica Rosenworcel has released the following Statement:
WASHINGTON, February 19, 2020: On October 1, 2019 the DC Circuit Court remanded key elements of the FCC’s rollback of net neutrality. In particular, the court decision took the agency to task for disregarding its duty to consider how the FCC’s decision threatened public safety, Lifeline service, and broadband infrastructure. Today, the agency is seeking comment on these issues. In response, Commissioner Rosenworcel released the following statement:
“The FCC got it wrong when it repealed net neutrality. The decision put the agency on the wrong side of history, the American public, and the law. And the courts agreed. That’s why they sent back to this agency key pieces regarding how the rollback of net neutrality protections impacted public safety, low income Americans, and broadband infrastructure. Today, the FCC is seeking comment on how best to move forward. My advice? The American public should raise their voices and let Washington know how important an open internet is for every piece of our civic and commercial lives. The agency wrongfully gave broadband providers the power to block websites, throttle services, and censor online content. The fight for an open internet is not over. It’s time to make noise.”
