The Independent View: Net Neutrality Takes Effect Friday and The Dotcom Act

NET NEUTRALITY
New net neutrality regulations take effect at 12:01 a.m. Friday, after the U.S. Court of Appeals for D.C. declined a request from the industry for a delay. Democrats on Capitol Hill cheered the decision.

Rep. Anna Eshoo (Calif.), ranking member of the Communications and Technology subcommittee of Energy and Commerce, said the ruling was "critical validation that the new rules to protect an open Internet are grounded in strong legal footing and can endure future challenges by broadband providers." "Today's decision by the DC Circuit Court is a victory for the Internet," said Rep. Doris Matsui (Calif.) in a statement.

Opponents of the rules said that they would continue to press their case in court, and praised the three-judge panel's decision to expedite the case. The decision will leave the case winding through the legal system for the next year as Republicans continue their attempts to kill the rules, this time through the appropriations process. A few lawmakers continue to push for a legislative compromise on the issue.

Ranking Democrat on the Senate Commerce Committee, Bill Nelson (D-Fla.), said he will continue to work with Republicans to craft a bill to codify net neutrality rules.

"While the court conducts its review, I remain committed to finding true bipartisan consensus to take the important protections the FCC put into place and provide the certainty that only legislation can provide," Nelson said in a statement after the ruling. "That legislation, though, must fully protect consumers, preserve the FCC's role, and leave the agency with flexible, forward-looking authority."

Republican FCC Commissioner Michael O'Rielly said the net neutrality fight "has only just begun," while the other GOP commissioner Ajit Pai said the ruling wasn't a surprise: "Although I am disappointed that the court did not stay the rules pending its review, this development was not unexpected. The bar for granting any stay is quite high, and I am pleased that the court did not suggest that the rules are in fact legally valid," he said.

THE DOTCOM ACT
Senators introduced a proposal Thursday that mirrors a House bill that would give Congress a month to review any final plan to hand over the government's oversight of the Internet domain system. A House subcommittee passed an identical version of the Dotcom Act this week, after Democrats and Republicans came to a compromise. The bill would also require accountability measures imposed on the group leading the transition and would require the administration to certify that the plan does not harm the open Internet. The Senate version is sponsored by Commerce Chairman John Thune (R-S.D.) and Sens. Marco Rubio (R-Fla.), Roger Wicker (R-Miss.) and Brian Schatz (D-Hawaii).