FCC chairman Tom Wheeler said Thursday he intends to take the court up on its invitation to find new legal underpinnings for its Open Internet order.
Wheeler was not around when the FCC came up with its original legal arguments, which a federal appeals court this week found wanting, but he is a strong proponent of network neutrality protections.
At a Minority Media & Telecommunications Council conference Thursday, Wheeler also noted the many statements from ISPS that they would not block or degrade traffic regardless of the court decision. He said he would take them at the word, calling it the right thing to do.
Wheeler has said all options are on the table, including appealing the court decision—and reclassifying Internet Access as a Title II service as well as using Title I authority under the Telecommunications Act mandate to insure universal access, power the court affirmed the FCC could use.
