By Mario Trujillo and David McCabe – 06/11/15 04:30 PM EDT
The new federal rules for net neutrality were allowed to take effect on Friday, after the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit denied a motion to stay the rules.
“Petitioners have not satisfied the stringent requirements for a stay pending court review,” the three judge panel said in its Thursday, ruling, which allowed the rules to kick in Friday at 12:01 a.m.
The court denied a request for a stay that would have put the rules on hold until a broader court battle is settled. It ruled that it will expedite the underlying case.
The ruling is not on the final merits of the challenge, but hands an early victory to net neutrality advocates.
The regulations reclassify Internet providers as utilities, giving the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) more powers to regulate them. That includes stopping providers from selectively slowing the delivery of content to users.
“This is a huge victory for Internet consumers and innovators,” said FCC Chairman Tom Wheeler. “Starting Friday, there will be a referee on the field to keep the Internet fast, fair and open.”
Rep. Anna Eshoo (Calif.), the ranking Democrat on a House Energy and Commerce subcommittee, called the ruling “critical validation that the new rules to protect an open Internet are grounded in strong legal footing and can endure future challenges by broadband providers.”
But Thursday evening, Republican lawmakers said the ruling was creating “uncertainty.”
“Unfortunately, we are now in for a long, unnecessary wait while the courts determine if the commission was out of bounds,” House Energy and Commerce Committee Chairman Fred Upton (R-Mich.), Communications and Technology Subcommittee Chairman Greg Walden (R-Ore.), and Subcommittee Vice Chairman Bob Latta (R-Ohio) said in a statement.
https://thehill.com/policy/technology/244735-court-allows-net-neutrality-rules-to-take-effect-friday
