FCC Network Neutrality Loss To Comcast
April 9, 2010 by Jerry Reth · Leave a Comment
FCC Network Neutrality Loss To Comcast – A U.S. appeals court ruled on Tuesday that the Federal Communications Commission was out of bounds when the company cited Comcast for slowing internet traffic on its network. Reportedly, the issue was that the slow down negatively affected web commerce companies and violated other sections of “net neutrality.” The three seated judge panel ruled that the FCC had far exceeded its authority when its cited and fined Comcast. The company had sanctioned Comcast because they prevented certain users from using Peer 2 Peer file sharing programs that are often used to download huge files.
This decision was a big one, because it dictated how much reign the FCC really has over large internet service providers and how they handle their users and networks. The FCC has not heavily regulated the internet in the past, but in recent months has stepped up its involvement in the regulation of the internet. For most users, the thought of equal rights for all users of the Internet has probably not even began to cross their minds. The idea has not been a mainstream one, but recent changes in the environment are going to inevitably lead to a change in the way that the Internet is handled.
Typically, Democrat lawmakers have support equal Internet rights and net neutrality rules, while republicans have opposed them. It is a fine, blurry line for lawmakers to walk. Comcast had allegedly been slowing down the connection speeds of some users who were using large peer to peer networks to download large files. The FCC would later ask to see documentation of their policies, which Comcast agreed to, but challenged when they were cited.
