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Public Interest Groups Pause Supreme Court Bid on Net Neutrality Case

By  |  August 10, 2025
Four prominent public interest organizations have decided not to petition the U.S. Supreme Court to review a recent federal appellate ruling that invalidated federal net neutrality regulations.

According to a statement released Friday, the Benton Institute for Broadband & Society, Public Knowledge, Free Press, and the Open Technology Institute opted against pursuing the case further at this time. The groups had intervened in proceedings before the Sixth U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals to support the Federal Communications Commission’s 2024 Open Internet Order, which aimed to reinstate protections for an open internet.

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    Andrew Jay Schwartzman, senior counselor of the Benton Institute for Broadband & Society, said in the statement, “The Sixth Circuit decision makes bad policy as well as bad law. Because it is at odds with the holdings of two other circuits, we expect to take the issue to the Supreme Court in a future case.”

    Read more: Public Interest Groups Push for Rehearing on FCC Net Neutrality Case

    Per the statement, the decision to stand down for now was influenced by the current legal and political environment, which the organizations believe makes it prudent to focus their resources on other strategic avenues. While they have paused their legal challenge in this instance, the groups emphasized that they remain committed to advocating for strong net neutrality protections and plan to revisit the matter when circumstances are more favorable.

    Source: Broad Band Breakfast