Today, the D.C. Circuit Court of Appeals denied petitions for rehearing in Mozilla v. FCC filed by various parties, including Public Knowledge.
In the Court’s recent opinion, it upheld in part the Federal Communications Commission’s December 2017 Restoring Internet Freedom Order. Public Knowledge filed as a petitioner opposing the FCC’s abandonment of its own net neutrality rules. While the FCC’s classification decision was narrowly upheld, the court also ruled that the FCC cannot prevent states from enacting their own net neutrality laws or other broadband regulations. Public Knowledge asked the court to reconsider portions of its decision that sided with the FCC.
The net neutrality rules created by the FCC’s 2015 Open Internet Order prevented broadband providers from blocking websites, throttling web traffic, or creating “fast lanes” only for those able to pay for prioritization. Millions of Americans expressed support for these rules by submitting comments with the FCC, and more than 80 percent of Americans consistently say they support restoring the protections the FCC adopted in the 2015 Open Internet Order.
The following can be attributed to John Bergmayer, Legal Director at Public Knowledge:
“Rehearings and en banc reviews are rarely granted. We look forward to continuing to fight for an Open Internet in Congress and in statehouses across the country — and one day working with an FCC that recognizes its important role in protecting broadband users.”
You may view the petition for rehearing to learn more about why we made this request. You may also view our original intervenors’ brief for more details on why Public Knowledge strongly opposed the FCC’s net neutrality repeal. For more information on why we went to court, please view our recent blog post, “Two Years Later, Broadband Providers Are Still Taking Advantage of An Internet Without Net Neutrality Protections.”
Members of the media may contact Communications Director Shiva Stella with inquiries, interview requests, or to join the Public Knowledge press list at shiva@publicknowledge.org or 405-249-9435.