TBA Law Blog


Posted by: Stacey Shrader Joslin on Jan 2, 2025

A three-judge panel of the U.S. 6th Circuit Court of Appeals has ruled that the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) did not have legal authority to reinstate so-called “net neutrality” rules, which had been in place during the Barack Obama presidency but repealed in 2017 during the first Donald Trump administration. Generally, net-neutrality rules require internet service providers to treat internet data and users equally rather than restricting access, slowing speeds or blocking content for certain users. The rules also forbid special arrangements in which providers give improved network speeds or access to favored users. The Biden administration had made restoring the rules a priority, Reuters reports. The panel cited the U.S. Supreme Court's decision in a Loper Bright, which overturned a precedent giving deference to government agencies in interpreting laws they administer. Read the opinion.