A D.C. Circuit Court of Appeals has taken down the FCC’s Open Internet Order.

The FCC’s aim for Internet neutrality has been harmed by this action. The order was put in place by Julius Genachowski in 2010, who, at the time was chairman of the FCC, and it was intended to deter internet providers from messing with their user’s traffic.

Craig Aaron, President and CEO of Free Press, which is a watchdog group dedicated to keeping an eye on the media, released a statement that was held a negative sentiment towards this push against Net neutrality, while being honest about the fact that it wasn’t the best way to go about it.

“We’re disappointed that the court came to this conclusion. Its ruling means that Internet users will be pitted against the biggest phone and cable companies — and in the absence of any oversight, these companies can now block and discriminate against their customers’ communications at will,” Aaron said in the statement.

“The FCC — under the leadership of former Chairman Julius Genachowski — made a grave mistake when it failed to ground its open Internet rules on solid legal footing. Internet users will pay dearly for the previous chairman’s lack of political will,” Aaron added. “That’s why we need to fix the problems the agency could have avoided in the first place.”

The Open Internet Order operated on a few basic ideas, which include people having access to the Internet content that they want, provided that it is lawful. People should also be free to use services and applications that they choose, again as long as its lawful. They should also be allowed to choose the network, service, and content providers they want, as well as using whatever devices they wish as long as they are legal.

[via TechCrunch, FCC Open Internet Order 2010 wiki]