Big Telecom Again Takes Net Neutrality to Court, but Faces Long Odds

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Back in April the Biden FCC finally got around to restoring both net neutrality rules, and the agency's Title II authority over telecom providers. The modest rules, as we've covered extensively, prevent big telecom giants from abusing their monopoly and gatekeeper power to harm competitors or consumers. They also require that ISPs be transparent about what kind of network management they use.

Contrary to a lot of industry and right wing bullshit, the rules don't hurt broadband investment and they're not some radical government overreach." They're some very basic guidelines proposed by an agency that under both parties is generally too feckless to stand up to industry.

But big telecom giants like AT&T and Comcast have unsurprisingly challenged the rules once again in the Fifth Circuit, the Sixth Circuit, Eleventh Circuit, and the D.C. Circuit as they seek a lucky lottery draw.At the same time, they've filed a petition asking the FCC to pause the rules (set to take effect July 22), claiming (falsely, as it turns out) that the agency's decision was illegal (all consumer protection efforts are illegal if you're ignorant enough to ask an AT&T or Comcast lawyer's opinion about it).

Big ISPs, as usual, insist that if net neutrality is to be addressed, it should be done by Congress:

Telecom lobbyists, which spend an estimated $320,000 every day lobbying Congress, enjoy making this claim hoping you're too daft to realize that Congress has long been too corrupted by corporate influence to do this (or much of anything else on consumer protection or consumer privacy). They know they have Congress in their pockets, and they're obviously working hard on the courts.

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