As the fate of the open internet remains in limbo, some of New York’s top tech companies are taking legal action against the FCC in hopes that its controversial ruling may yet be overturned.
On Monday morning, it was announced that companies like Etsy, Shutterstock, Kickstarter, Expa and Foursquare will be filing a petition in the D.C. Circuit Court of Appeals with the goal of taking the FCC to task. In addition, Etsy will also be filing an individual petition.
“Etsy is filing this petition on behalf of the 1.9 million creative entrepreneurs who sell goods on our platform, and depend on strong net neutrality protections to build their businesses and compete online,” said Althea Erickson, Etsy’s head of advocacy and impact, in a statement on the filing.
“The courts need to hear from the people who will be harmed the most under the FCC’s unprecedented attack on net neutrality. 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.”
The courts need to hear from the people who will be harmed the most under the FCC’s unprecedented attack on net neutrality.”
The petition is the latest in an ongoing saga that began in mid-December 2017, when the FCC, under the guidance of Ajit Pai, voted to repeal a bevy of regulations that work to keep the internet an affordable and accessible source of information.
Since the vote, legislators and citizens alike have been working to reverse the decision, which has drawn criticism from both sides of the aisle. Last week, Senate Democrats submitted a proposal that would essentially nullify the FCC’s decision before it went into effect. Presently, the proposal has 50 of the 51 votes needed to proceed, and the Senate will likely need to force a vote some time in the coming weeks.
Of course, passage in the Senate is merely one step in the process—the bill would then need to be taken up by the House of Representatives and the White House, where it’s likely to face more stringent opposition.
In the meantime, tech companies are taking the matter into their own hands, working to paint a picture of how net neutrality rollbacks could jeopardize their businesses — businesses that comprise billions of dollars of the U.S. economy.
“Net neutrality is essential to empower anyone, regardless of economic status, with access to information and resources to contribute to the digital economy,” said Shutterstock General Counsel Heidi Garfield. “Progress often comes through disruption and collaboration and a free and open internet facilitates both. Shutterstock was built on an open internet and now empowers hundreds of thousands of creators and customers to bring their ideas to life.”
If the FCC’s decision holds, one could expect to see its effects as soon as the end of April.
