OPEN INTERNET

Appeals Court Backs Full Net Neutrality

Rules against telecom companies.

A District of Columbia appeals court ruled Tuesday in favor of full net neutrality, deeming high-speed Internet service a utility. The rules forbid companies from slowing or withholding Internet service to users. Telecom firms sued the Federal Communications Commission after it created new regulations the companies feared would hurt their bottom lines. “After a decade of debate and legal battles, today’s ruling affirms the commission’s ability to enforce the strongest possible internet protections—both on fixed and mobile networks—that will ensure the internet remains open, now and in the future,” FCC Chairman Tom Wheeler said in a statement.