The Internet Association Will Participate in Legal Action Against the FCC’s Rollback of Net Neutrality Rules ⇥ recode.net

Tony Romm, Recode:

The Washington, D.C.-based Internet Association specifically plans to join a lawsuit as an intervening party, aiding the challenge to FCC Chairman Ajit Pai’s vote in December to repeal regulations that required internet providers like AT&T and Comcast to treat all web traffic equally, its leader confirmed to Recode.

Technically, the Internet Association isn’t filing its own lawsuit. That task will fall to companies like Etsy, public advocates like Free Press and state attorneys general, all of which plan to contend they are most directly harmed by Pai’s decision, as Recode first reported this week.

As an intervener, though, the Internet Association still will play a crucial role, filing legal arguments in the coming case. And in formally participating, tech giants will have the right to appeal a judge’s decision later if Silicon Valley comes out on the losing end.

The Internet Association’s members include Amazon, Facebook, Google, Microsoft, Netflix, and Twitter. That’s a lot of weight to be thrown behind someone else’s legal action; but, with powerful companies like those as members, I don’t see any reason why the Association couldn’t file its own suit. They should.