FCC Asks Court To Dismiss Network Neutrality Lawsuits

Government lawyers filed motions Jan 28 asking a judge to dismiss lawsuits seeking to overturn new rules designed to protect the open Internet. In documents filed with the US Court of Appeals for Washington (DC), lawyers for the Federal Communications Commission call the lawsuits by Verizon and MetroPCS "fatally premature" and argue that the court lacks jurisdiction to hear the case. The FCC asked the court to dismiss the challenge because it was filed before the network neutrality rules were published in the Federal Register. "The rules that govern when and how parties may challenge FCC orders are clear, and Verizon and MetroPCS filed too early when they challenged the Open Internet order," a senior FCC official said.