Net Neutrality 2011: What Storms May Come

"When the Federal Communications Commission passed its first binding network neutrality rules earlier this month, it brought a sort of closure to a long-running, raucous debate that had left nearly all participants exasperated, if not exhausted.

"But one would be hard pressed to find an observer who really thinks the FCC's Dec. 21 order will be the final word in the net neutrality debate. So what happens next?

"FCC Chairman Julius Genachowski billed the rules as a compromise that would establish some baseline prohibitions against service providers blocking lawful content on their networks, while shielding them from the heavy-handed regulatory oversight cable and phone companies had long fought against.

"And indeed, some of the longtime foes of net neutrality rules, including AT&T, Comcast and the National Cable and Telecommunications Association, issued statements describing the plan as less than ideal, but far better than some earlier, more aggressive proposals."

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