D.C.’s political bookies are giving the full survival of the FCC’s net neutrality rules long odds. In a packed Washington courtroom Monday morning, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit heard arguments in Verizon v. FCC, the landmark case challenging the FCC’s authority to regulate the Internet. The panel of three judges were so interested in the case that they extended the oral arguments from the traditional 45 minutes to two hours, still only a short time for a roomful of attorneys to determine the fate of Internet regulation.
Whether or not the FCC has the authority to regulate the Internet comes back in the spotlight on Monday when the D.C. Circuit Court of Appeals hears oral arguments in Verizon v. FCC. How the court decides could have profound implications for the Internet: whether ISPs like cable systems or telecommunications companies like Verizon will be subject to the FCC’s so-called “open Internet” rules that prohibit services from slowing down or blocking legal content.
