The Federal Communications Commission's net neutrality rules will go into effect on November 20, almost one year after the commission approved them.
Though the FCC approved the rules on December 21, 2010, they have not gone into effect because the commission has dragged its feet on publishing them in the Federal Register—a move that makes them official. The FCC said today that they will be published on Friday, and take effect in November.
For those who need a refresher, net neutrality is the concept that everyone should have equal access to the Web. Amazon should not be able to pay to have its Web site load faster than a mom-and-pop e-commerce site, for example. After Comcast was accused of blocking P2P sites, however, the FCC decided to craft rules that would ban ISPs from discriminating based on content. It was OK to slow down your entire network during peak times, for example, but you couldn't block a particular site, like BitTorrent. The rules approved by the FCC give the commission the authority to step into disputes about how ISPs are managing their networks or initiate their own investigations if they think ISPs are violating its rules.
The FCC approved net neutrality rules along party lines. The order provides three high-level rules: transparency; no blocking; and no unreasonable discrimination. The order received support from Chairman Julius Genachowski and Democratic commissioners Michael Copps and Mignon Clyburn, but was not approved by GOP commissioners Robert McDowell and Meredith Baker, who's now at Comcast.
The rules face some challenges, however. After they were approved, Verizon and MetroPCS sued, arguing that the FCC did not have the authority to regulate such issues. But because the rules had not yet been published in the federal register, their cases were thrown out. Expect one if not both of them to re-file now the rules are official.
Congressional Republicans are also not too pleased by the rules. Back in April, the House voted to overturn the FCC's net neutrality rules, but the measure was largely a symbolic gesture. It's unlikely to get through the Democrat-controlled Senate, and President Obama has pledged to veto the bill if it ever makes it to his desk.
For more, see What Do the FCC's Net Neutrality Rules Mean for You.