As promised, USTelecom today filed a lawsuit in the U.S. Court of Appeals for District of Columbia challenging the FCC’s net neutrality rules. USTelecoms, which represents a number of telecommunication companies, says the rules are arbitrary and capricious, and violate federal law.
“USTelecom believes the FCC used the wrong approach to implementing net neutrality standards, which our industry supports and incorporates into everyday business practices,” said USTelecom President Walter McCormick. “Our appeal is not focused on challenging the objectives articulated by the President, but instead the unjustifiable shift backward to common carrier regulation after more than a decade of significantly expanded broadband access and services for consumers under light-touch regulation. Reclassifying broadband Internet access as a public utility reverses decades of established legal precedent at the FCC.”
McCormick suggests the FCC’s plan will cool telecom investment and impact innovation. The FCC’s rules were published in the Federal Register earlier today, opening the door for such lawsuits.
