USTelecom, AT&T, CenturyLink, CTIA-the Wireless Association and the Wireless Internet Service Providers Association have asked the Federal Communications Commission to stay its action placing broadband internet access service under Title II public utility regulation. The operators and industry associations have already filed lawsuits in an attempt to halt the FCC's new net neutrality rules, which open up broadband service to the same regulation as telephony. They now want the Commission to review the plans to subject broadband providers to Title II common carrier obligations, as well as the newly created internet conduct standard that would allow the FCC to decide what new services carriers could offer.
Their petition claims the new rules create "enormous uncertainty" about what kind of services broadband providers can offer, as well as result in new costs and "substantial harm" to operations, especially for small ISPs. The FCC order’s "lack of specificity coupled with the prospect of significant penalties would chill decisions for future investment in new products and business plans to the detriment of consumers", the joint statement said.
The operators also fear the FCC's new oversight of peering agreements. Since the order was adopted, some companies have already threatened to initiate FCC enforcement actions to achieve peering arrangements favorable to them, the industry groups said.
