It’s official. The Federal Communications Commission published its order today lowering the hammer on Comcast for derailing Internet users’ Web access and then pretending that the cable giant was doing nothing wrong.

The order, approved by a bipartisan FCC majority at the beginning of the month, demands that Comcast “must stop” its ongoing practice of blocking Internet content by year’s end.

As we have written before, this action carries considerable weight.

It’s the first time the FCC has gone to such lengths to assert users’ right to an open Internet. And it sends a warning shot across the bow of other major ISPs that are flirting with the idea of blocking, filtering or degrading content, or favoring certain Web sites and services over others.

The FCC Delivers

“This order marks a major milestone in Internet policy,” says Ben Scott, Free Press policy director. “For years, the FCC declared that it would take action against any Internet service provider caught violating the online rights guaranteed by the agency. Today, the commission has delivered on that prom