Librarians, Consumers, Internet Groups To Back FCC Net Neutrality Order
Library and consumer groups said they plan to support the FCC net neutrality order, which is being challenged in the U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit (the case is USTelecom vs. FCC, No. 15-1063). A major Internet group…
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previously said it would back the order. The American Library Association, Association of College and Research Libraries, Association of Research Libraries and the Chief Officers of State Library Agencies filed a motion Tuesday asking the D.C. Circuit for leave to file an amicus brief in support of the Department of Justice and FCC as they defend the order, which also reclassified broadband Internet access service under Title II of the Communications Act. The groups said their brief would argue the net neutrality rules are needed to protect the interests of libraries and their users. "Without rules banning paid prioritization, libraries would be significantly hampered in efforts to provide the most vulnerable populations with access to content and services on the Internet, including educational resources and non-profit content," they said. The groups also plan to argue the that FCC general Internet conduct standard was an appropriate tool under the Communications Act to ensure the Internet remained "open" and "a democratic platform for research, learning and the sharing of the information" in the face of "future harms that cannot yet be defined." Consumers Union filed a notice Tuesday of its intent to file a brief supporting the DOJ/FCC. The group said all the parties to the case had consented to its participation. The Internet Association -- representing Amazon, eBay, Facebook, Google, Netflix, Yahoo and other prominent Web companies -- filed a similar notice Aug. 7. The DOJ/FCC brief is due Sept. 14 and the supporting intervenor and amicus briefs Sept. 21. Cable/telco petitioners challenging the order filed their briefs in July (see 1507310042) and intervenors and amicus briefs supporting their challenge were filed in August (see 1508070058).