FCC Sued Over Cable Internet Ruling

Consumer groups and competitors of companies that sell high-speed Internet service over cable modems are asking the courts to throw out a decision by federal regulators leaving that business largely unregulated.

Telephone company Verizon Communications filed suit against the Federal Communications Commission on Monday in a U.S. Court of Appeals in Washington. Verizon transmits over telephone wires a form of high-speed Internet service, known as digital subscriber line service, that competes with cable.

The Media Access Project also challenged the FCC’s ruling on Monday, on behalf of three consumer groups. EarthLink Inc., an independent Internet service provider, filed its suit Friday. An FCC spokesman said the agency would have no comment. The FCC ruled March 14 that cable Internet companies are information providers rather than telecommunications providers.