A federal appeals court in California said AT&T’s “throttling” suit will be reheard and reconsidered, Reuters reported. The lawsuit, filed against AT&T in 2014 by the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) , accused the carrier of deceiving customers by reducing internet speeds for those with unlimited mobile data plans, once use passed certain levels. The FTC said the carrier failed to inform consumers. In some cases, data speeds were slowed by nearly 90 percent, the lawsuit said.
The court was dismissed in August 2016 on the grounds that AT&T was a common carrier and therefore not subject to FTC jurisdiction. A new ruling in favour of the FTC could clear the way for the agency to assume jurisdiction over internet provider privacy practices in addition to websites, which it currently oversees.
"We have reviewed the court’s order, and we look forward to participating in the en banc review," AT&T said. The FTC declined to comment.
