FCC reversal of net neutrality rules
expected to be published Thursday: sources
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[February 21, 2018]
By David Shepardson
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The U.S. Federal
Communications Commission is expected to publish on Thursday its
December order overturning the landmark Obama-era net neutrality rules,
two sources briefed on the matter said Tuesday.
The formal publication in the Federal Register, a government website,
means state attorneys general and advocacy groups will be able to sue in
a bid to block the order from taking effect.
The Republican-led FCC in December voted 3-2 to overturn rules barring
service providers from blocking, slowing access to or charging more for
certain content. The White House Office of Management and Budget still
must sign off on some aspects of the FCC reversal before it takes legal
effect.
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Congressional aides say the publication will trigger a
60-legislative-day deadline for Congress to vote on whether to overturn
the decision. U.S. Senate Democrats said in January they had the backing
of 50 members of the 100-person chamber for repeal, leaving them just
one vote short of a majority.
Even if Democrats could win a majority in the Senate, a repeal would
also require winning a vote in the House of Representatives, where
Republicans hold a larger majority, and would still be subject to a
likely veto by President Donald Trump. Democrats need 51 votes to win
any proposal in the Republican-controlled Senate because Vice President
Mike Pence can break any tie.
On Friday, a coalition of more than 20 state attorneys general and
advocacy groups agreed to withdraw a protective petition filed in
January that sought to preserve the right to sue.
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Federal Communications Commission (FCC) hearing room is seen in
Washington February 26, 2015. REUTERS/Yuri Gripas
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Amy Spitalnick, a spokeswoman for New York Attorney General Eric
Schneiderman, said the office reached an agreement to withdraw "the
original petition and will simply refile it once the final rule is
published. Either way, our coalition of AGs is taking the FCC to
court to challenge its illegal rollback of net neutrality."
The December FCC order will be made public on Wednesday and formally
published on Thursday, the sources said. A spokesman for FCC
Chairman Ajit Pai did not immediately comment.
The approval of Pai's proposal marked a victory for internet service
providers like AT&T Inc, Comcast Corp and Verizon Communications Inc
and hands them power over what content consumers can access.
Earlier this month, technology companies including Alphabet Inc and
Facebook Inc threw their weight behind the congressional bid to
reverse the Trump administration’s plan to repeal Obama-era rules
designed to protect an open internet.
(Reporting by David Shepardson; editing by Jonathan Oatis)
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