The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) is once again trying to propose network neutrality rules that would assure an open Internet, though early press reports based on a draft proposal indicate that more work needs to be done to achieve network neutrality. In its January 2014 decision in Verizon v. FCC, the DC Circuit Court of Appeals struck down previous FCC rules on network neutrality. The FCC will consider new rules on May 15. The proposed rules will then be subject to public comment and will be carefully reviewed by many communities, given the possible impact on free speech, innovation, online learning, and more. ARL, the American Library Association (ALA), and EDUCAUSE have been collaborating on network neutrality issues and will continue to work with the FCC and other communities as the proposed rules are publicly considered.
In February 2014, ARL, ALA, and EDUCAUSE signaled their disappointment with the DC Circuit Court of Appeals decision in Verizon v. FCC in a letter to the Chairman and the Commissioners of the Federal Communications Commission (FCC). The associations stated, “Experience has proven that the public Internet provides the most ‘choice’ when it is open to everyone. We urge you to act expeditiously to fill the void created by the court’s decision and to develop open Internet principles and enforceable policies that incorporate the interests of libraries, higher education, and the students, faculty, patrons, and communities they serve.”
For more information about the new rules under consideration by the FCC, see Kevin Taglang’s April 25 post on the Benton Foundation Digital Beat blog, “The Next Chapter in the #NetNeutrality Saga.”
