Articles

Netflix has started the legal battle to fight Net Neutrality Repeal

“This is the start of a long legal battle. Netflix stands w/ innovators, large & small, to oppose this confused FCC order,” the company tweeted quickly after the FCC voted on the measure.

We’re frustrated in the decision to gut #NetNeutralityprotections that ushered in an unparalleled era of innovation, creativity & civic engagement. This is the beginning of a long legal battle. Netflix stands w/ innovators, large & small, to oppose this misguided FCC order.

The FCC voted 3-2 along party lines Thursday to fight its 2015 Open Internet Order, which required internet service providers to treat all websites fairly, banning them from blocking, slowing down or promoting up access to special content.

Public interest gatherings have already vowed to challenge the move in court, and Democrats plan to push law.

Numerous Democratic legislators took to social media to oppose the judgment, and New York Attorney General Eric Schneiderman said he is accusing the FCC to block the repeal from going into effect.

FCC Chairman Ajit Pai and others in favor of the resolution argued the deregulation of the internet would spur reform, and that the Federal Trade Commission would have the influence to sue providers who violate competition on the web.

Even with the rollback of net neutrality, ISPs will not likely take any proactive steps to block sites or charge content companies or customers fees because of the “political risks” that by doing so they would invite future administration, MoffettNathanson’s Craig Moffett wrote in a research note.

“Net neutrality is really simply a monetary dispute over interconnection pricing,” Moffett wrote. “Would-be buyers of interconnection” i.e., the likes of Netflix and Google “want the value to be set at zero or close to it. Would-be sellers ISPs want there to be an original price.”

With net neutrality advocates looking to keep the issue alive, according to Moffett, investors in cable and telecom funds are still facing ambiguity about which way the rules will ultimately play out.