Today, NCTA, CTIA, and ACA filed lawsuits against the FCC’s Open Internet Order, which was published in the Federal Register yesterday. The rules will go into effect on June 12, 2015.
“No one should have to ask the FCC for permission to give away products for free,” said Berin Szoka, president of TechFreedom. “America’s wireless sector is the envy of the world, offering not just faster speeds but also innovative services like T-Mobile’s free music streaming. But the FCC’s ‘Mother, May I?’ approach creates very real uncertainty that could end such pro-consumer experimentation. This will harm consumers and actually make it harder for smaller carriers and new entrants to the wireless market like Google to compete with Verizon and AT&T. While lawyers squabble, creative new offerings will be squashed.”
“Sponsored data plans have long been vital to driving adoption in underserved communities,” continued Szoka, “but that didn’t stop net neutrality absolutists from hounding upstart MetroPCS into abandoning its free-YouTube plan back in 2011 — a plan targeted to first-time adopters in urban areas, mostly minorities. The same quasi-religious zealotry is driving calls to ban ‘zero-rating’ around the world, despite its vital role in promoting adoption among the world’s poor. The FCC’s Title II regulations will only encourage such reverse-progressivism — which is why it’s a good thing the FCC is very likely to lose in court, especially on reclassifying mobile broadband.”
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We can be reached for comment at media@techfreedom.org.