Verizon Communications on Thursday announced that is has filed an appeal with the United States Court of Appeals in Washington, DC to challenge a net neutrality order put in place by the FCC late last year. The FCC’s “Open Internet” order puts a preliminary set of guidelines in place in an effort to protect consumers while not imposing too much control over ISPs. Apparently, the FCC’s first swing was a huge miss in Verizon’s eyes. “We are deeply concerned by the FCC’s assertion of broad authority for sweeping new regulation of broadband networks and the Internet itself,” Verizon’s senior vice president and deputy general counsel Michael E. Glover said in a statement. “We believe this assertion of authority goes well beyond any authority provided by Congress, and creates uncertainty for the communications industry, innovators, investors and consumers.” Hit the jump for Verizon’s press release.
Verizon Files Appeal in Federal Court Regarding FCC Net Neutrality Order
WASHINGTON – January 20, 2011 – Verizon Communications on Thursday (Jan. 20) filed an appeal in the United States Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit, challenging the Federal Communications Commission’s Report and Order on rules dealing with the issue of net neutrality. The following statement should be attributed to Michael E. Glover, Verizon senior vice president and deputy general counsel:
“Verizon has long been committed to preserving an open Internet and meeting the needs of our customers. We have worked extensively with all players in the Internet and communications space to shape policies that ensure an open Internet and encourage investment, innovation and collaboration with content providers and others to meet the needs of consumers.
“Today’s filing is the result of a careful review of the FCC’s order. We are deeply concerned by the FCC’s assertion of broad authority for sweeping new regulation of broadband networks and the Internet itself. We believe this assertion of authority goes well beyond any authority provided by Congress, and creates uncertainty for the communications industry, innovators, investors and consumers.”
