AT&T Argues Net Neutrality Violates Its First Amendment Rights

from the up-is-down,-black-is-white dept

Back when Verizon sued to overturn the FCC's 2010 net neutrality rules, the telco argued that the FCC was aggressively and capriciously violating the company's First and Fifth Amendment rights. According to Verizon's argument at the time, broadband networks "are the modern-day microphone by which their owners engage in First Amendment speech." Verizon also tried to claim that neutrality rules were a sort of "permanent easement on private broadband networks for the use of others without just compensation," and thereby violated the Fifth Amendment.

Granted, any well-caffeinated lawyer in a nice pair of tap dancing shoes can effectively argue anything, though in this case you'd obviously have to operate in a vacuum and ignore the history, context and definition of net neutrality to fully do so. Regardless, Verizon did manage to have those original, flimsy rules thrown out, but it had nothing to do with the telco's Constitutional arguments. Verizon won because the FCC was trying to impose common carrier rules on ISPs without first declaring them as common carriers under Title II of the Communications Act, something the FCC tried to remedy with the latest rule incarnation.

Fast forward to 2015. AT&T's busy suing the FCC both as part of USTelecom, but also with a standalone lawsuit of its own. In a statement of issues (pdf) outlining its legal assault on the FCC's net neutrality rules, AT&T makes it clear that it too will try to claim the FCC is violating the company's First and Fifth Amendment rights:
"In a statement of issues that AT&T intends to raise when the case moves further into the court process, the company said last week that it plans on challenging whether the FCC’s net neutrality order "violates the terms of the Communications Act of 1934, as amended, and the First and Fifth Amendments to the US Constitution." The First and Fifth Amendment will be used to attack the FCC's decision to reclassify both fixed and mobile broadband as common carrier services, as well as the FCC's assertion of authority over how ISPs interconnect with other networks."
CenturyLink, wireless carriers (the CTIA) and major telcos (USTelecom) have stated they plan to argue the same point, though the precise legal approach obviously isn't being disclosed yet. Basically, AT&T and friends are throwing every legal claim they can possibly think of at the wall and hoping something sticks.

Leaning on the First Amendment when it's convenient has long been a telecom lawyer mainstay, logic be damned. Verizon tried to argue that its participation in the government's domestic surveillance efforts was protected by the First Amendment. Comcast has tried to argue that its right to bar competitors' TV channels from its lineup is similarly protected by the First Amendment. Charter Communications has hinted it believes its First Amendment rights mean it doesn't have to adhere to municipal franchise contracts. Of course, those of us here on planet Earth realize net neutrality is intended to protect the free speech rights of consumers and small business owners from the incumbent ISPs, and the only concept truly being explored here is irony.
Hide this

Thank you for reading this Techdirt post. With so many things competing for everyone’s attention these days, we really appreciate you giving us your time. We work hard every day to put quality content out there for our community.

Techdirt is one of the few remaining truly independent media outlets. We do not have a giant corporation behind us, and we rely heavily on our community to support us, in an age when advertisers are increasingly uninterested in sponsoring small, independent sites — especially a site like ours that is unwilling to pull punches in its reporting and analysis.

While other websites have resorted to paywalls, registration requirements, and increasingly annoying/intrusive advertising, we have always kept Techdirt open and available to anyone. But in order to continue doing so, we need your support. We offer a variety of ways for our readers to support us, from direct donations to special subscriptions and cool merchandise — and every little bit helps. Thank you.

–The Techdirt Team

Filed Under: fcc, first amendment, free speech, net neutrality
Companies: at&t


Reader Comments

Subscribe: RSS

View by: Time | Thread


  1. identicon
    Anonymous Coward, 26 May 2015 @ 10:54am

    Doesn't AT&T know that the constitution does not matter in this country... I mean they are helping destroy it as we speak.

    You helped break the fourth and now you are twisting the first to achieve your commercial interests. Typical hypocritical mindset that is set by the tone at the top of our "civilized?" society.

    link to this | view in thread ]

  2. identicon
    Anonymous Coward, 26 May 2015 @ 10:57am

    I see, to protect a companies first amendment rights, they should be allowed to trample on everybody else's.

    link to this | view in thread ]

  3. icon
    DB (profile), 26 May 2015 @ 11:14am

    The government granted these companies an operating monopoly. Now they want both the government-granted monopoly and freedom from government-imposed rules that went with that monopoly.

    link to this | view in thread ]

  4. identicon
    DigDug, 26 May 2015 @ 11:19am

    Funny thing about that argument...

    It's when they, the big internet backbone companies, mess with client's internet traffic, they really are messing with people's first amendment rights by delaying, modifying, blocking their conversations.

    Peoples right to freedom of speech end when they abridge other's rights, and traffic shaping, limiting, etc are all abridgement of the content providers and content consumers rights.

    link to this | view in thread ]

  5. identicon
    HMTKSteve, 26 May 2015 @ 11:22am

    first amendment

    The first amendment covers speech not microphones. Or to put it more simply, the first amendment allows for freedom of speech but it does not require the government to give you a microphone so that your speech can be heard.

    In this particular instance the government has an interest in regulating the microphones.

    link to this | view in thread ]

  6. icon
    DannyB (profile), 26 May 2015 @ 11:23am

    Net Neutrality DOES violate AT&T's 1st amendment right

    The 1st Amendment guarantees people* such as AT&T* corporation* the freedom of religious belief without interference from the government.

    AT&T should have the freedom to worship their god (money) and practice their religion (greed, screwing consumers) without the government prohibiting the free exercise of religion. Net Neutrality would constitute government interference with both Greed and Screwing Consumers. Persons* such as AT&T* should not be deprived of the joy that their religion brings into their life, as evidenced by their evil laughter at the misery and expense of others.

    It's right there in the 1st amendment.

    * Corporations are people too

    link to this | view in thread ]

  7. icon
    DannyB (profile), 26 May 2015 @ 11:26am

    I must be interpreting this correctly.

    AT&T could not possibly be concerned about 1st amendment freedom of speech issues. So it must be a concern about religious practice.

    Free Speech is about saying something, not about preventing others from saying things, or regulating the flow of others' speech.

    link to this | view in thread ]

  8. icon
    John Fenderson (profile), 26 May 2015 @ 11:28am

    Sounds about right

    So the telecoms are arguing that it's a violation of their first amendment rights to have regulations about how they handle data that they didn't produce and have no rights over?

    That sounds about right. And they wonder why everyone hates the telecoms...

    link to this | view in thread ]

  9. identicon
    Anonymous Coward, 26 May 2015 @ 11:47am

    Things like this are why some of the most radical consumer advocates think we should abolish corporations altogether as a legal entity.

    Because corporations like AT&T try to use things like the constitution to let them screw everyone else over. Not to mention Citizen's United, ruling that 1st amendment rights lets corporations spend unlimited amounts of money to influence elections, something that was outlawed over 100 years ago because of the corruption it caused.

    Stories like this make ideas like that start to seem quite rational.

    link to this | view in thread ]

  10. identicon
    mooper, 26 May 2015 @ 11:48am

    Here is a brilliant idea, and will solve issues of corporations being legal people... You are only a legal person who has right such as the first one if you are able to be put in jail. As ATT&T can't be put in jail it has no 1st amendment protections. Problem solved and many other problems solved also

    link to this | view in thread ]

  11. identicon
    Anonymous Coward, 26 May 2015 @ 11:59am

    Re:

    Ultimate free speech is censorship for everyone else.

    The borders between "right to" and "freedom from" are subjective.

    link to this | view in thread ]

  12. identicon
    Anonymous Coward, 26 May 2015 @ 12:33pm

    Re:

    AT&T: the wiretapping was only illegal at the time

    BTW: look out when they start enforcing the 2nd and we have an army of $$ seeking executives shaking down neighborhoods

    link to this | view in thread ]

  13. identicon
    JR, 26 May 2015 @ 12:48pm

    They are not a person

    The bill of rights was written for the people. Corps only exist because the people allow them to exist. I can't find the quote right now, but in some past court case it was said that right to complete free speech is so important to people that elevating corps to that same level dilutes the right for people.

    link to this | view in thread ]

  14. identicon
    Anonymous Anonymous Coward, 26 May 2015 @ 1:00pm

    Hilarity Ensues

    Dear Telco Attorney's,

    Dance faster and with more oomph!

    People who have camera's and Internet connections*




    *Would these videos be better on YouTube, Vimeo or some other?

    link to this | view in thread ]

  15. icon
    Almost Anonymous (profile), 26 May 2015 @ 1:39pm

    Re: Net Neutrality DOES violate AT&T's 1st amendment right

    Yeah, exactly. Yet more fallout from the preposterous notion that corporations have constitutional rights. Thanks SCOTUS!

    link to this | view in thread ]

  16. identicon
    Anonymous Coward, 26 May 2015 @ 1:43pm

    ok. The people own the bandwidth and just lease the bandwidth to the telcos etc. so change the agreement to make it a condition that wireless is under title two.

    Sure something similar can be done with the cable connections as well.... and stop any and all subsidies until they agree

    link to this | view in thread ]

  17. identicon
    Anonymous Coward, 26 May 2015 @ 2:17pm

    AT&T is not a person, ergo it cannot have its First Amendment rights infringed.

    link to this | view in thread ]

  18. identicon
    Geoffrey, 26 May 2015 @ 4:35pm

    I'm now worried about corporate Second Amendment right.

    link to this | view in thread ]

  19. icon
    Padpaw (profile), 26 May 2015 @ 4:42pm

    Why don't they just say net neutrality promotes terrorism.

    That usually fires people up. If their plan is to try everything use that. That should get them laughed out of court all the sooner.

    link to this | view in thread ]

  20. icon
    nasch (profile), 26 May 2015 @ 4:49pm

    Re:

    Things like this are why some of the most radical consumer advocates think we should abolish corporations altogether as a legal entity.

    The problem with that is you're left with personal liability for businesses, which makes it very unappealing to start a business. That's not a good incentive structure to set up since despite all the stupid political rhetoric, small businesses actually are quite important.

    link to this | view in thread ]

  21. icon
    upcoming (profile), 26 May 2015 @ 10:21pm

    Corporate power is the root issue here.

    In fact it is the root issue of a host of serious problems in the US and the world. The fantasy of corporate existence needs to be exploded. The game has gone too far. The US was founded in reaction against corporate tyranny. And here we are two plus centuries later unable, so far, to halt corporate tyranny. Should we take from this that an armed revolution is required to end corporate tyranny? History would suggest so.

    A completely new chapter in the corporate fantasy must be written. In it corporations have the power and influence they held right after the American revolution. That is, a charter granted by the people, through government, for a specific defined purpose only and a limited duration, and that done grudgingly with skepticism about abuses against the citizenry. Only this time it is done without violence. A completely heartening chapter that shows some character development in humanity.

    link to this | view in thread ]

  22. icon
    PaulT (profile), 27 May 2015 @ 3:18am

    Re: first amendment

    "In this particular instance the government has an interest in regulating the microphones...."

    ...in order to prevent private organisations from leveraging their monopoly to allow free speech only to those who pay them a high enough fee, a model they have already proven will happen if no external force stops them (free market not being applicable since most people in the US have very little choice about providers).

    FTFY, you missed one of the most important elements.

    link to this | view in thread ]

  23. icon
    fgoodwin (profile), 27 May 2015 @ 6:51am

    Re: They are not a person

    @JR: The First Amendment also protects freedom of the press, right?

    Are you saying that the free press clause of the First Amendment does not apply to the New York Times? Because the New York Times is a corporation (and a pretty big one at that).

    If you agree that the New York Times has freedom of the press, then you must also agree that the First Amendment applies to corporations.

    link to this | view in thread ]

  24. identicon
    Anonymous Coward, 27 May 2015 @ 9:05am

    Re: Re: They are not a person

    The New York Times is composed of people who have freedom of the press. The same way that other corporations are composed of people who have freedom of religion and speech. The organization doesn't need protection for its freedom of the press because the individuals have it. The New York Times is the expression of freedom of the press of the human beings who compose it.

    link to this | view in thread ]

  25. icon
    John Fenderson (profile), 27 May 2015 @ 9:56am

    Re: Re: They are not a person

    "If you agree that the New York Times has freedom of the press, then you must also agree that the First Amendment applies to corporations"

    I disagree.

    Corporations are legal fictions -- inventions of the government -- and what "rights" they have are exactly what "rights" the government decides to give them. It is entirely possible and reasonable to give some limited right to free expression to them that doesn't go as far as the first amendment.

    link to this | view in thread ]

  26. identicon
    Ron, 27 May 2015 @ 6:01pm

    Net Neutrality

    ATT, telecommunication, and cable companies will continue attacking Net Neutrality until they reach their ultimate objective - make the internet like long distance or cable channel packaging tiered pricing schema. They want to be able to charge web sites different prices for publishing their web sites to different regions around the world(like they did with long distance phone calls); like wise, they want to charge internet users the same tiered pricing - you want to access Europe - one price, China - another price, South America - another price.

    link to this | view in thread ]

  27. icon
    Bergman (profile), 27 May 2015 @ 6:13pm

    Re: Funny thing about that argument...

    It's even better, when you consider that the lack of editorial control over the network is what gives them safe harbors against lawsuits over third party content.

    If the data flowing across AT&T's network is AT&T's speech, then they are liable for it.

    link to this | view in thread ]

  28. identicon
    Can You See Me Bending Over And Dropping My Shorts, 27 May 2015 @ 6:17pm

    Get On the Bus

    I would never give my seat up to a corporation claiming to be an elderly person with gout and arthritus in their knees just because they claim to be a person. That sure in hell doesn't make them one. The US Constitution was written by people looking to protect the common citizen from entities such as these greedy corporations "that" have no problem stealing food off your table meant to feed your kids or they threaten to turn off your lights, shut off your heat, cancel your insurance, repossess your car, or kick you out of your home and then write all the worst stuff and publish it with a credit reporting agency for all their buddies to read.

    link to this | view in thread ]


Follow Techdirt
Essential Reading
Techdirt Deals
Report this ad  |  Hide Techdirt ads
Techdirt Insider Discord

The latest chatter on the Techdirt Insider Discord channel...

Loading...
Recent Stories

This site, like most other sites on the web, uses cookies. For more information, see our privacy policy. Got it
Close

Email This

This feature is only available to registered users. Register or sign in to use it.