[Satellite TODAY 05-07-10] After having its initial Internet regulation schemes rebuffed by the U.S. Court of Appeals, the U.S. Federal Communications Commission (FCC) unveiled May 6 a more narrowly defined approach.
     The latest proposal would “recognize the transmission component of broadband access service—and only this component—as a telecommunications service,” the FCC said. Other components would remain under the label of information services, which the FCC has limited authority over. The plan would prevent the FCC from applying sections of the Communications Act to areas that are “unnecessary and inappropriate for broadband serviced access service” and put safeguards in place safeguards to prevent the FCC from overstepping its authority.
     In April, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia ruled against the FCC’s initial Internet regulations. The court agreed with Comcast’s claim that the FCC lacked the authority to require broadband providers to give equal treatment to all Internet traffic flowing over their networks.
     The FCC said its new approach “will place federal policy regarding broadband communications services, including the policies recommended in the National Broadband Plan, on the soundest legal foundation, thereby eliminating as much of the current uncertainty as possible.”