Columbia Law School Professor Tim Wu Comments on Federal Appeals Court Decision on Net Neutrality

New York, June 14, 2016—A federal appeals court today fully upheld the Federal Communications Commission's Open Internet rules—regulations backing the principle of "net neutrality,” a term coined by Columbia Law School Professor Tim Wu in a law review article more than a decade ago.

Wu, a widely cited authority on the Internet, media, and communications industries, offered the following personal statement* about the decision:

“The D.C. Circuit's decision is the culmination of nearly 14 years of thought, advocacy and lawyering by an enormous number of people, including millions of citizens who weighed in at the end. I feel strongly that the court has done the right thing to preserve the economic and social benefits of open networks for future generations.” 

Since September 2015, Wu has been serving as special advisor to New York Attorney General Eric T. Schneiderman, on technology, competition, and internet policy and legal issues. In 2011 and 2012, Wu served as a senior advisor to the Federal Trade Commission. He is the author of The Master Switch: The Rise and Fall of Information Empires, co-author of Who Controls the Internet?, and a regular contributor to The New Yorker. 

*Disclaimer: This statement is made in a personal capacity, and does not necessarily represent the views of the office of the New York Attorney General.