Ninth Circuit to Hear Net Neutrality Appeals

It looks like the legal challenge to the FCC's network neutrality rules will be heard in the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit, where the varios appeals to the FCC's Restoring Internet Order will be filed.

The Ninth won a random draw for the venue conducted when appeals are filed in more than one federal appeals court, according to an attorney involved in the appeals.

The U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit has heard the previous appeals of net neutrality rules.

The appeals are of the FCC's Dec. 14 decision to eliminate the rules against blocking, throttling and paid prioritization and began in earnest following publication of the rules in the Federal Register.

The order's publication in the Thursday (Feb. 22) edition of the register triggered the window for filing legal challenges to the Dec. 14 decision to eliminate the rules against blocking, throttling and paid prioritization, as well as a general conduct standard that could get at other ISP activity.

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.