Comcast에 대한 망중립성 제재 위법 판결

미국 항소법원(United States Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit)은 미국통신위원회 (FCC)가 망중립성 원리에 입각해서 미국 케이블방송회사 Comcast가 대용량 파일 다운로드를 수반하는 P2P 사이트와 같은 일부 인터넷 서비스의 접속 속도를 떨어드린 행위에 대해 내린 제재조치가 법률에 의해 허용된 FCC의 권한범위를 초월하였으므로 위법하다는 판결을 선고하였다.

<판결요지>
“[The FCC] relies principally on several congressional statements of policy, but under Supreme Court and D.C. Circuit case law statements of policy, by themselves, do not create 'statutorily mandated responsibilities”

“The commission also relies on various provisions of the Communications Act that do create such responsibilities, but for a variety of substantive and procedural reasons those provisions cannot support its exercise of ancillary authority over Comcast’s network management practices.”

<사건 일지> (출처: WSJ)

• 2004 Feb. 8: Then-FCC Chairman Michael Powell introduces a set of consumer protections—dubbed the 'Four Freedoms'—that Internet providers should follow.
  2007 Oct: Reports surface that Comcast is interfering with consumers' ability to download files from file-sharing services like BitTorrent.
• 2008 Jan: FCC opens investigation.
  - March: Comcast says it will change its network-management practices and stop slowing peer-to-peer Internet traffic.
  - Aug: FCC says Comcast violated its Internet principles. It orders the company to change its policies but doesn't fine Comcast.
  - Sept: Comcast appeals, saying the FCC's net-neutrality principles aren't enforceable.
  2009 Sept: FCC Chairman Julius Genachowski proposes formal net neutrality rules, which would also apply to wireless Internet providers.
• 2010 April: U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit strikes down FCC's Comcast order, saying that the agency exceeded its authority.

• 사건명: Comcast Corp. v. Federal Communications Commission et al., case number 08-1291, in the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit.
• 판결문: http://pacer.cadc.uscourts.gov/common/opinions/201004/08-1291-1238302.pdf