FCC Chairman says fear of lawsuits is holding up Net Neutrality

The Federal Communications Commission might seem slow, even resistant to calls for Net Neutrality, but FCC Chairman Tom Wheeler says the organizations slow reaction is very deliberate. "The big dogs are going to sue regardless of what comes out," the Chairman told reporters today. "We need to make sure that we have sustainable rules, and that starts with making sure that we have addressed the multiplicity of issues that comes along and are likely to be raised." In other words, the FCC's plans for an open internet need to be strong enough weather the legal ire of ISPs opposed Net Neutrality.

Wheeler didn't elaborate on what specifically the FCC was doing to protect its open internet initiative against lawsuits, but it's not a bad excuse: the battle for Net Neutrality will probably be fought in the courts, and the case for reform will need to be iron clad if it is to survive. That isn't to say the FCC's plans will be the best laid -- after all, leaked documents have showed the commission to be a-okay with the ISP's so-called internet fast lanes.