On Thursday, AT&T, the cable production group NCTA, and CenturyLink filed separate petitions asking the court to overturn the controversial 2015 rules. A general appeals court last year upheld the rules, which were announced by a Democrat-controlled FCC and backed by President Barack Obama.
The rules prevent wireless and broadband associations from blocking or slowing traffic and stops them from charging a fee to deliver services faster to consumers. It also reclassifies broadband as a utility service, reducing it to many of the same controls that govern the old telephone network.
The broadband industry says it has no predicament with the idea of an open internet, but it contends the new classification applies antiquated regulations that have stifled investment.
Republicans, who now control the FCC, have previously begun the process of dismantling the rules. In May FCC Chairman Ajit Pai, named by President Donald Trump, opened a proceeding to rewrite the rules. The FCC could vote to revoke the rules as early as December.
Legal experts say this gives it less likely the Court will take the case.
“The Supreme Court isn’t likely to play a starring role on net impartiality now,” said Matt Schettenhelm, a litigation and administration analyst with News Intelligence. “The court’s likely to take a back seat, letting the FCC move forward with its work to undo the 2015 order.”
This means the battle for net neutrality is likely to go on for numerous years as Democrats, consumer advocates and internet companies like Mozilla, which support the rules, have vowed to proceed to fight.
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