FCC Denied Net Neutrality Court Date Appeal

Net Neutrality

Following the expiration period in which the US Congress could overturn the net neutrality repeal, things have now officially moved past that stage and into the courts. With over 22 states (and their State Attorneys) looking to reintroduce the protections, the simple crux of the matter is deciding at the court level whether a state can choose to overrule the FCC on a territorial level.

Due to the recent government shutdown in the US, however, with the initial ‘oral arguments’ due to take place next Friday, the FCC was keen to put a delay on this. Specifically because with the shutdown, they are currently only operating on about 20% of their usual staff levels.

In a report via CNET, however, the court has officially denied the request and the initial ‘oral’ hearings will still go ahead as planned.

What Does This Mean?

Well, essentially it means that the FCC is going to have to enter these initial discussions a little underpowered. The court has said that despite the shutdown, they have more than enough funds to proceed throughout January and February. As such, they see no grounds for the hearing to be delayed.

This is, however, all positive news for those who want the protections reinstated. For want of the better expression, the FCC is vulnerable at the moment. Specifically, because they simply lack the manpower they clearly would’ve liked to have thrown into this hearing. As such, while the net neutrality saga still has many more chapters to come, it is at least some positive news.

What do you think? Are you a supporter of net neutrality? If not, why not?- Let us know in the comments!