Six tech companies filing net neutrality lawsuit

Six technology companies, including Kickstarter, Foursquare and Etsy, have launched a lawsuit against the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) in an effort to preserve net neutrality rules.

The companies, which also include Shutterstock, Expa and Automattic, on Monday filed their petition with the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit.

“Already, over 30,000 Etsy sellers participated in the FCC’s public comment process, and tens of thousands more reached out to Congress in support of net neutrality. Now we’re bringing their stories and experiences to the courts,” said Althea Erickson, head of advocacy and impact at Etsy.

{mosads}The companies join Vimeo and Mozilla, as well as several state attorneys general who have also filed lawsuits against the FCC in support of the net neutrality rules.

Like the other lawsuits, their new case hinges on the Administrative Procedure Act, which they argue prevents the FCC from “arbitrary and capricious” redactions to already existing policy.

In December, the Republican-led FCC voted along party lines in favor of Chairman Ajit Pai’s Restoring Internet Freedom order to get rid of the Obama-era net neutrality rules.

In Congress, lawmakers are making a last-ditch effort to keep the FCC from scrapping net neutrality. Democratic senators are one vote shy of passing a Congressional Review Act (CRA) intended to stop the FCC’s order. If they are successful though, it’s seen as unlikely that the CRA will be successful in the House. President Trump is expected to not sign the CRA should it reach his desk.