WASHINGTON – Comcast Corp. is appealing an FCC ruling that the company is improperly blocking customers' Web traffic, triggering a legal battle that could determine the extent of the government's authority to regulate the Internet.

In a precedent-setting move, a divided Federal Communications Commission last month determined that the company is violating a federal policy that guarantees unfettered access to the Internet.

Comcast challenged the FCC decision Thursday in the U.S. District Court of Appeals in Washington, D.C.

Comcast executive vice president David L. Cohen says the company is seeking “review and reversal” of the FCC order and that the commission's action was “legally inappropriate and its findings were not justified by the record.”