skip to main content
skip to newscasts

Thursday, March 28, 2024

Public News Service Logo
facebook instagram linkedin reddit youtube twitter
view newscast page
play newscast audioPlay

Pulling back the curtains on wage-theft enforcement in MN; Trump's latest attack is on RFK, Jr; NM LGBTQ+ equality group endorses 2024 'Rock Star' candidates; Michigan's youth justice reforms: Expanded diversion, no fees.

view newscast page
play newscast audioPlay

Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg says rebuilding Baltimore's Key Bridge will be challenging and expensive. An Alabama Democrat flips a state legislature seat and former Connecticut senator Joe Lieberman dies at 82.

view newscast page
play newscast audioPlay

Historic wildfires could create housing and health issues for rural Texans, a Kentucky program helps prison parolees start a new life, and descendants of Nicodemus, Kansas celebrate the Black settlers who journeyed across the 1870s plains seeking self-governance.

Internet-Freedom Advocates: Appeals Court Strikes "Huge Blow"

play audio
Play

Friday, January 17, 2014   

PHILADELPHIA – It's being called a huge blow to all Internet users.

A federal court ruled this week in favor of Verizon, striking down Federal Communication Commission (FCC) rules that regulate the Web.

The ruling means broadband providers such as Verizon and Comcast could charge Netflix, ESPN and other content providers higher prices for faster download speeds, creating Internet fast lanes.

Josh Levy, Internet campaign director for the watchdog group Free Press, says in its court arguments in the case against the FCC, Verizon revealed a broader goal.

"It actually said that it has the right to treat the Internet as a newspaper, and it would be the editor of that newspaper,” he points out. “And it would have the right to block or not block whatever content flows over its pipes."

Philadelphia-based Comcast, which has opposed net neutrality, issued a statement saying the company has consistently supported the Commission's Open Internet Order as an appropriate balance of protection of consumer interests while not interfering with companies' network management and engineering decisions.

The FCC's new chairman, Tom Wheeler, says the agency might appeal the ruling.

"We think this is a huge blow to all Internet users, who can now expect Internet service providers to block any content on the Internet, at will,” Levy says of the ruling by the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit. “And right now, there's no cop on the beat that will be able to stop them from doing so."

The court acknowledged that the FCC has the authority "to promulgate rules governing broadband providers' treatment of Internet traffic."

Levy maintains this gives the agency a chance to rewrite the provisions.

"They were struck down because they weren't passed in the right way,” he contends. “And so, what we need is for the FCC to pass strong protections for Internet users in the right way."





get more stories like this via email

more stories
A report from the Tennessee HealthCare Campaign recommended the federal government needs to strengthen 340B drug pricing and other federal negotiation mechanisms to make needed medicines more readily available and less expensive for hospitals to purchase and administer. (Spotmatikphoto/AdobeStock)

Health and Wellness

play sound

A recent report examined how some rural Tennessee hospitals have managed to stay afloat despite financial challenges. The report includes interviews …


Social Issues

play sound

Earlier this month, a new Arizona Public Service rate hike went into effect and one senior advocacy group said those on a fixed income may struggle …

Social Issues

play sound

Michigan recently implemented a significant juvenile justice reform package following recommendations from a task force made up of prosecutors…


Nearly 13 million Americans receive health coverage through unique plans under both Medicare and Medicaid. They are known as Dual-Eligible Special Needs Plans. (Adobe Stock)

Health and Wellness

play sound

Medicare and Medicaid are key sources of health coverage for many Americans and some people qualify for assistance under both programs. With lagging …

Social Issues

play sound

A mix of policy updates and staffing boosts has helped to put wage theft enforcement on the radar in Minnesota, and officials leading the efforts are …

More than six in 10 Americans favor keeping the abortion pill mifepristone available in the U.S. as a prescription drug, while over a third are opposed, according to a Gallup poll. (Adobe Stock)

Social Issues

play sound

New research shows more than six in 10 abortions in the U.S. last year were medically induced, and U.S. Sen. Catherine Cortez Masto - D-NV - is …

Social Issues

play sound

Colorado is working to boost the state's agricultural communities by getting more fresh, nutritious foods into school cafeterias - and a new online …

Social Issues

play sound

Missouri lawmakers are concerned with protecting people from the potential risks of the increasing accessibility of AI-generated images and videos…

 

Phone: 303.448.9105 Toll Free: 888.891.9416 Fax: 208.247.1830 Your trusted member- and audience-supported news source since 1996 Copyright © 2021