Net neutrality rules nixed by appeals court
Broadband companies will be able to charge tech giants more for fast connections needed to deliver services such as video after Verizon won a court showdown against the Federal Communications Commission.
The U.S. Court of Appeals in Washington D.C. sent the rules back to the FCC. The FCC could rewrite the rules in a way that would pass a court test.
Verizon challenged the FCC's Net neutrality regulations that required broadband providers treat all traffic equally. Verizon has said that it would charge bandwidth hogs more since they take up more of its network. Multiple outlets such as the Wall Street Journal, Bloomberg and Reuters reported the news.
The crux of the appeals court ruling was that the FCC didn't have authority since it didn't classify broadband providers as a common-service carrier. Instead, broadband providers were deemed information service providers. A common carrier classification is what applies to telephone lines.
For the FCC, one option could be to reclassify broadband providers.
Add it up and the Net neutrality debate is going to kick up again and all the political issues that come with it will tag along.
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