Sixth Circuit Tosses Net Neutrality
A three-judge panel held that broadband is an information service under the Telecommunications Act.
WASHINGTON, Jan. 2, 2025 – A panel of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit set aside the Federal Communications Commission’s net neutrality rules Thursday, writing that broadband is subject to light-touch regulation under the best reading of the law.
The Cincinnati-based court said the FCC misread the 1996 Telecommunications Act, arguing it required the agency to keep broadband Internet Service Providers lightly regulated.
“We conclude that the Safeguarding Order misreads the text of the Communications Act as it applies to Broadband Internet Service Providers,” Circuit Judge Richard Griffin wrote, referencing the FCC order standing up net neutrality. “The FCC exceeded its statutory authority by issuing the Safeguarding Order.”
