Supreme Court gives cable industry more time to appeal net neutrality ruling

The Supreme Court is giving the cable industry more time to appeal a lower court decision upholding the Federal Communications Commission’s net neutrality rules.

Industry groups had asked the nation’s highest court for a 60-day extension because the FCC is currently moving to repeal the rules, which require internet service providers to treat all web traffic equally.

Among the groups that filed for the extension were USTelecom, the Internet and Television Association, CTIA, the American Cable Association and AT&T. The groups originally had until July 30 to ask the Supreme Court for a review. That deadline is now Sept. 28.

“We appreciate the Court’s decision to grant a short extension,” said a USTelecom spokeswoman.

{mosads}The 2015 internet regulations have held up despite the legal challenge from the cable and internet industry. Last year, a partial panel of judges on the D.C. Circuit Court of Appeals upheld the net neutrality rules.

And in May, that court denied a request to review that decision in another victory for net neutrality supporters.

But that came just after Republican FCC Chairman Ajit Pai announced that he was going to push through a repeal of the rules.

The court in that ruling cited the “uncertainty” surrounding the Obama-era rules.

“The agency will soon consider adopting a Notice of Proposed Rulemaking that would replace the existing rule with a markedly different one,” the circuit court decision read.

“In that light, the en banc court could find itself examining, and pronouncing on, the validity of a rule that the agency had already slated for replacement.”