Verizon v. FCC: Net Neutrality and More

Communications industry lawyers presented oral arguments to a three judge panel of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia. The issue of "Net Neutrality" is a closely watched case where the future of commerce and control over the internet may be decided. The judges grilled attorneys from Verizon and the FCC, and varying sympathies became evident. The focus is on whether owners of internet infrastructure, in this case Verizon, have the right to control access and content passing through their system. In effect, Verizon wants to be able to act as an "editor" and furthermore retain the right to implement tiered pricing for access to bandwidth. A decision is expected late this year or early next. Regardless of the decision, the case seems bound for the Supreme Court.