US appeals court upholds ‘Open Internet’ rule

Lori Erlendsson attends a pro-net neutrality Internet activist rally in the neighborhood where U.S. President Barack Obama attended a fundraiser in Los Angeles, California, U.S. July 23, 2014. REUTERS/Jonathan Alcorn/File Photo

WASHINGTON: A US federal court ruled that the Internet is effectively a public utility, upholding a hotly contested regulation requiring broadband firms to treat all online traffic equally. 

The so-called “net neutrality” principle was upheld in a 2-1 decision by the US Appeals Court panel in Washington, a major ruling in a decade-long legal battle and the first court approval after two past efforts failed.