The Other Big Vote at the FCC Today

Today, the FCC will vote out it’s Net Neutrality rules, most likely releasing 5-10 pages of rule changes that will bring broadband within the Title II common carrier regime.  The full report will follow some weeks from now and then the litigation will begin, with challenges probably being filed in March and April.  There’s another FCC action coming today that will also have great significance for the future of the Internet.  The FCC is going to rule on preemption petitions from Chattanooga, TN and Wilson, NC.  These cities, dissatisfied with the commercial offerings for broadband, want to use their municipal utilities to scale up local broadband infrastructure to gigabit capacity.  They think this is the only way to leap forward and compete globally, as well as with the select cities with Google fiber.  It looks like they’ll win.  And if the FCC grants their petitions, this action too will be battled in court.   It will be an interesting spring for the future of the Internet in America.