I must have had some type of premonition on the subject of Net Neutrality. On Monday, I posted a blog article framing this public policy debate. Now, on June 14, a ruling from the legal system (no, I did not have any inside information).
A 2-1 decision from a panel of the United States Courts of Appeals for the District of Columbia is being viewed as a substantial victory for consumers and a loss for the telecommunications and cable industry. The Court’s decision upheld the FCC’s action adopting very specific rules for broadband providers. It prohibits these providers from imposing any restrictions or tampering with broadband access and content by consumers.
It’s been a long battle over the information superhighway between the broadband providers, the FCC and consumer groups as outlined in my previous blog. The ruling is a victory for companies such as Netflix, Google, Amazon and Hulu.
The Court’s decision affirms the FCC’s authority to regulate broadband service in order to provide unencumbered access from content provider to consumers. With no interference or transmission speed interruptions.
With a substantial amount of broadband traffic originating from (media) streaming providers, the legal battlefield was clearly defined and engaged.
Clearly, the issue is not resolved. Expect an appeal to the US Supreme Court. You can read my previous blog outlining the issues at http://sousamis.com/?p=663.