Major Advocacy Groups Ask Government To Reverse FCC Net Neutrality Ruling

Several groups representing dozens of major players in tech have banded together to try and reinstate net neutrality laws, Reuters reported. A legal filing in the U.S. Court of Appeals for Washington, D.C., urged the federal government to reverse the Federal Communications Commission’s landmark December ruling against net neutrality.

Four major groups filed the brief to the appeals court Monday. The Internet Association, which represents tech giants like Facebook, Amazon and Google, put its name on the filing, as did the Entertainment Software Association, which counts many major video game publishers as members. The group was rounded out by the Writers Guild of America West and the Computer & Communications Industry Association.

Their brief covered the numerous criticisms opponents have of the FCC’s new stance on net neutrality. Though no major changes have come to U.S. internet service yet, the new rules went into effect earlier this year. Internet service providers can throttle, or intentionally slow down, customers’ access to certain online data, unless those customers pay for a higher tier of service.

As the filing pointed out, this could be especially problematic in parts of the country where one service provider reigns supreme. Since millions of customers might not have a choice of ISP, they either have to put up with the new rules or live offline, according to the legal filing.

The internet groups also stood in opposition to FCC plans to thwart statewide net neutrality rules. Six U.S. governors have signed executive orders to restore net neutrality under their jurisdiction, while three states have otherwise put legislation into place to protect an open internet within their borders, according to the National Conference of State Legislatures.

FCC chairman Ajit Pai has largely been seen as the face of net neutrality’s demise. In the past, he has stated net neutrality kept millions of Americans in rural areas from accessing broadband internet. While broadband access is not universal in the U.S., even among city dwellers, pro-net neutrality advocates do not believe the FCC’s reversal of internet policy will improve the situation.

Many believe eliminating net neutrality would only make online access more expensive. In January, Pai suggested a $500 million investment for the expansion of rural broadband access.