A federal appeals court recently ruled that while most of the FCC’s ban on net neutrality can stand, the FCC did not have legal authority to ban states from implementing their own laws. This net neutrality update comes after a nearly year-long lawsuit filed by the Mozilla Corporation vs. the FCC appealing the FCC ban of net neutrality.
A few months ago we shared our thoughts about the Federal Communications Commission’s repeal of net neutrality and what could happen because of it. Net neutrality can be very difficult to understand, that’s why we laid it all out in an article on our blog, along with our official position that can be accessed here:
“Our Position on Net Neutrality”
Even though the case ended with the FCC upholding its repeal of net neutrality, the ruling regarding state rights to regulate communications within their own borders will most likely steal the thunder from the FCC as we roll into the new year.
California, Montana, Washington and other states have either passed or expect to pass laws effectively maintaining net neutrality. This ruling not only protects those state laws, but also gives other states the power to implement their own protections. Without net neutrality, internet service providers have the power to choose what you see online, favoring some sources or blocking others. They can also create so-called “fast lanes” where content from one source is given higher priority and more bandwidth than content from another source in a “pay to play” scenario (kind of like how one Burger King Whopper is delivered faster for people willing to pay more in this humorous video using hamburgers to explain the concept).
Because states are passing laws to uphold net neutrality, this ruling from the federal courts means that internet providers will have to adhere and respect neutrality in the states they serve or most likely across the board to avoid complications.
Here at Softcom we believe that everyone should have the same opportunities to access the internet, no matter where they live, without us getting in the way of you getting the content you want. What does this mean for our customers? That we’ll continue to provide the best internet access and services to every one of our customers no matter what. Or in other words, business as usual!