The industry had a variety of reactions to yesterday’s court ruling preventing the FCC from enacting net neutrality regulation.
CTIA President and CEO Steve Largent said the decision “suggests that it is time to turn away from murky regulatory debates and focus on connecting all Americans and leading the world in broadband.”
The “unanimous and very thorough opinion in the Comcast case makes clear that the FCC needs to focus on the important task of making the promise of the National Broadband Plan a reality by spurring investment, innovation and job growth, and turn away from calls to impose restrictive regulations on broadband providers and the Internet ecosystem,” he said.
Verizon General Counsel Randal Milch echoed CTIA’s statement, saying “the FCC simply failed to link its actions to its statutory responsibilities.”
Milch emphasized that the decision in the Comcast vs. FCC case “will have no impact on the experience of Internet users,” a sentiment shared by both Time Warner Cable and Comcast.
The case involved Comcast’s 2007 decision to block its subscribers from using file-sharing Web site BitTorrent, which allowed users to trade massive files over the Internet. The FCC banned Comcast from blocking the service in 2008. Comcast challenged that decision on the grounds that the FCC was trying to enforce policy, not regulations or law, and that it did not have the authority to enforce net neutrality regulations.
Comcast’s Vice President of Government Communications Sena Fitzmaurice said the company was “gratified” by the court’s decision.
“Our primary goal was always to clear our name and reputation,” Fitzmaurice said. “We have always been focused on serving our customers and delivering the quality open-Internet experience consumers want. Comcast remains committed to the FCC’s existing open Internet principles, and we will continue to work constructively with this FCC as it determines how best to increase broadband adoption and preserve an open and vibrant Internet.”
In its statement, Time Warner Cable said it continued to focus on providing a “high quality, open Internet experience” and that the court decision “does not affect that commitment.”
Filed Under: Industry regulations
