Court sides with Comcast in Net Neutrality appeal
FCC's authority called into question
Internet Service Provided Comcast can safely return to throttling subscribers' bandwidth as a U.S. appeals court overturned a Federal Communications Commission mandate that required that the company provide service indiscriminately to its users.
The decision itself raises some interesting questions about the FCC's authority and its role in regulating neutrality. According to the U.S. Court of Appeals' 3-0 decision, the FCC has not been expressly given the "untrammeled freedom" by Congress to regulate a provider so directly.
The FCC states that the court doesn't disagree with net neutrality or the equal treatment of subscribers and that the commission is able to pursue other means of regulation. One such immediate fix would involve simply reclassifying ISPs as common carriers, which are subject to more regulation.
That said, the decision does, at least for now, allow ISPs to set bandwidth caps, throttle peer-to-peer file sharing and treat their customers as they see fit. And the decision comes at a time when the FCC is preparing a plan that would both increase the overall speed of broadband and increase the coverage area.
What do you readers think? Is this a minor setback for the FCC? Is it the natural flow of a market-driven service? Or will the overall effect of the ruling go unnoticed? Share your comments below.
Comments
comments powered by DisqusIssue 259/2022
Buy this issue as a PDF
News
-
Danielle Foré Has an Update for elementary OS 7
Now that Ubuntu 22.04 has been released, the team behind elementary OS is preparing for the upcoming 7.0 release.
-
Linux New Media Launches Open Source JobHub
New job website focuses on connecting technical and non-technical professionals with organizations in open source.
-
Ubuntu Cinnamon 22.04 Now Available
Ubuntu Cinnamon 22.04 has been released with all the additions from upstream as well as other features and improvements.
-
Pop!_OS 22.04 Has Officially Been Released
From the makers of some of the finest Linux-powered desktop and laptop computers on the market comes the latest version of their Ubuntu-based distribution, Pop!_OS 22.04.
-
Star Labs Unveils a New Small Format Linux PC
The Byte Mk I is an AMD-powered mini Linux PC with Coreboot support and plenty of power.
-
MX Linux Verison 21.1 “Wildflower” Now Available
The latest release of the systemd-less MX Linux is now ready for public consumption.
-
Microsoft Expands Their Windows Subsystem for Linux Offerings With AlmaLinux
Anyone who works with Windows Subsystem for Linux (WSL) will now find a new addition to the available distributions, one that’s become the front-runner replacement for CentOS.
-
Debian 11.3 Released wIth Numerous Bug and Security Fixes
The latest point release for Debian Bullseye is now available with some very important updates.
-
The First Alpha of Asahi Linux is Available
Asahi Linux is the first distribution to fully support Apple Silicon and is now available for testing.
-
Zorin OS 16.1 Released with a New Kernel For Better Hardware Compatibility
The developers of Zorin OS have released the latest version of their beautiful desktop Linux OS.
ISP throttling