Save the Internet protest outside the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) by Free Press, to voice opposition to proposed rules that would limit Net Neutrality. May 15, 2014. Photo by Diego M. Radzinschi/THE NATIONAL LAW JOURNAL.
Among the more than 9 million comments filed thus far are a number from giants such as Verizon Communications Inc., Amazon.com Inc. and AT&T Services Inc.
With a July 17 deadline for comments on the Federal Communications Commission's proposal to roll back net neutrality rules, a number of companies have given their opinions in an attempt to sway the agency.
The FCC, led by Chairman Ajit Pai, voted 2-1 in May to start a proceeding to repeal Obama-era rules adopted in 2015 that looked to the FCC's authority under Title II of the Communications Act in order to impose net neutrality rules. The commission's final proposal, titled Restoring Internet Freedom, was made public on May 23 and calls for re-evaluating the existing rules on net neutrality, which currently aim to ensure that internet service providers (ISPs) don't block or slow users' access to certain websites or services or create so-called fast lanes for content delivery.
The FCC's notice of proposed rulemaking specifically proposes to reverse the FCC's 2015 decision to impose heavy-handed regulations on ISPs; classify all broadband internet access services as information services; and eliminate the catch-all internet conduct standard, which allows the FCC to prohibit practices it determines unreasonably interfere with or disadvantage consumers' ability to use the internet.
The deadline for comments closed on July 17, though reply comments are accepted until Aug. 16. Among the more than 9 million comments filed thus far are a number from giants such as Verizon Communications Inc., Amazon.com Inc. and AT&T Services Inc.
In support of changes to the current rules, Verizon argues that while the telecommunications giant supports an open internet and would be deeply concerned if access to Verizon's services are restricted, the rules adopted by the FCC in 2015 discourage investment and innovation.
Title II, as imposed by the FCC's 2015 Order is the wrong answer, Verizon said in its July 17 filing, adding that it doesn't fit today's fast-paced and competitive internet and that the price regulation framework is a toxic approach if the goal is to encourage investment or the entrance of new competitors into the market.
In April, Verizon released a video in which general counsel Craig Silliman discussed net neutrality. The FCC is not talking about killing net neutrality rules and in fact, not we nor any other ISP are asking them to kill the open internet rules, Silliman said in the video. All they're doing is looking to put the open internet rules in an enforceable way on a different legal footing.