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The Minnesota Public Utilities Commission (MPUC), which is based in

Jan. 11, 2018 by Kimberly Parks

The Minnesota Public Utilities Commission (MPUC), which is based in Minneapolis, is the state's largest cable operator. It is the largest cable company in the state and is responsible for managing more than 40% of Minnesota's cable capacity.

As part of its bid to get the FCC to reclassify broadband as a Title II telecommunications service, Charter launched its new service in February. Under the new rules, all broadband service is subject to FCC approval, and it must be covered by the FCC's existing telecommunications rules for each broadband service the state's public utility operates. To do this, Charter and other cable companies can apply for FCC approval in two ways—by filing a complaint against a state's broadband authority or by filing with the Commission an agreement with the FCC. The first method is a $100 settlement fee, or net neutrality certification fee, that states that the state's utility will keep a record of all wireless service providers operating in the state. The other means is an agreement with the Commission or the state's broadband authority, called a net neutrality certification agreement, that allows the state to retain a record of all wireless services.

The court ruling also says that the commission's decision to reclassify broadband as a Title II telecommunications service will not "prohibit state-level net neutrality rules from becoming an alternative to the current system." The FCC's reclassification process has been criticized by some net neutrality advocates, but the decision is a clear win for the net neutrality movement.

The Minnesota Public Utilities Commission (MPUC) declined to comment on the ruling, or the ruling itself, but a spokesperson for MPUC said in a statement, "This decision recognizes that broadband providers have a compelling interest in ensuring consumers have a better experience on mobile devices. We intend to continue to work with the Federal Communications Commission to resolve the Minnesota case."

The Minnesota case comes after an earlier court ruling said that the FCC's ability to preempt state-level net neutrality rules is a win for the telecommunications industry, as long as broadband service is not subject to state regulation. The Federal Communications Commission issued a set of guidelines to broadband providers in July 2016 that said it could regulate broadband service provided by "any provider offering broadband services with a broadband modem, including those that offer broadband Internet to rural customers or rural telephone users." The commission's new rules also allowed broadband providers to apply for FCC approval for a set of new wireless options, in which they would be required to provide broadband Internet to a rural area that has a broadband modem.