Tech Policy Group Seeks Intervener Status on Title II

Add New America's Open Technology Institute (OTI) to the list of parties intervening in support of the Federal Communications Commission's Title II order and opposing stay requests by cable and telco ISPs.

The OTI, an Internet policy advocacy group, has petitioned the U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit to intervene on behalf of the FCC in the legal challenge, which would make it a party to the case.

“The FCC’s network-neutrality rules are strong, clear and necessary to preserve the Internet’s role as a level playing field for innovation and an open portal for communication, commerce, education and civic engagement," OTI senior policy counsel Sara Morris said. "OTI was deeply engaged in the FCC’s proceeding to enact those rules, detailing the significant consumer harms that result from interconnection disputes as well as the need for a common regulatory regime that applies to both wired and wireless networks. We are pleased to join the growing group of public interest and industry groups who have moved to protect the FCC’s rules from a recent wave of legal challenges."

Free Press and Comptel this week made similar requests to the court.

The FCC's reclassification of Internet access as a Title II common-carrier service and new rules under that regime are scheduled to take effect June 12, unless the court grants a stay.

John Eggerton

Contributing editor John Eggerton has been an editor and/or writer on media regulation, legislation and policy for over four decades, including covering the FCC, FTC, Congress, the major media trade associations, and the federal courts. In addition to Multichannel News and Broadcasting + Cable, his work has appeared in Radio World, TV Technology, TV Fax, This Week in Consumer Electronics, Variety and the Encyclopedia Britannica.