Federal court halts reimposed ‘net neutrality’ rules

The return of Obama-era net neutrality rules is temporarily halted through the beginning of next month, according to a court of appeals order released Friday.  

The U.S. Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit put a temporary stay until Aug. 5 on the rules the Biden administration’s Federal Communications Commission (FCC) voted to restore in April.  

The temporary halt put in place comes after multiple broadband providers filed a motion in favor of a stay on the FCC’s restored rules.  

Net neutrality rules aim to bar broadband providers from blocking or throttling internet traffic to some websites and speed up access to others that pay extra fees.  

It was a big push for the Democrats on the committee, but the agenda was pushed back as Congress stalled to confirm a full board and give Democrats a majority on the committee. The agency voted 3-2 along partisan lines to revive the rules in April.  

The Hill reached out to the FCC for comment.  

The rules were put in place under former President Obama in 2015, but the Trump administration repealed them in 2017.  

Supporters of net neutrality, like Democratic FCC Chairwoman Jessica Rosenworcel, say the rules help to ensure a fair and open internet.  

But critics such as Republican Commissioner Brendan Carr argue the rules expand government control over the internet to solve a problem that has not been as pervasive as supporters of the rules warned.