TIA Supports Continued Legal Challenge of FCC Title II Internet Regulation

Arlington, Va. (July 29, 2016) – The Telecommunications Industry Association (TIA), the leading association representing the manufacturers and suppliers of high-tech communications networks, said it supports the petitions filed today to have the U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit rehear the legal challenge to the Federal Communications Commission’s (FCC) Open Internet Order. The petitions for a rehearing were made by a number of industry organizations and businesses, including CTIA, US Telecom, and others.

TIA CEO Scott Belcher issued the following statement:

“For consumers and businesses alike, the FCC’s plan offers much pain, with no gain. Allowed to stand, the impact of the rules will spread across the Internet landscape – harming consumer access, connectivity and speed, innovation in IoT and 5G and American competitiveness. With all of this at stake, we support the industry’s effort to pursue every legal option to challenge the FCC’s net neutrality overreach.

“Even as the legal effort continues, we are committed to working towards a policy solution that encourages continued innovation and private sector investment. There is no need for the FCC’s strict, inflexible rules – designed to regulate our grandparents’ phone service – when there are balanced, sensible and widely-supported options for ensuring an open Internet.”