Verizon's Net Neutrality Victory Means More Fighting to Come

[Commentary] For a small but passionate group of tech-minded policy wonks, the legal battle over network neutrality is the preeminent Internet issue of the year.

A federal appeals court invalidated the rules set by the Federal Communications Commission, but did so in such a way that guarantees the action won’t stop in January. “What has happened here is this makes things more of a mess than ever,” says Harold Feld of Public Knowledge, an advocacy group that sided with the FCC in the case.

But we’re reaching the end of the tea-leaf-reading era. Barring a successful appeal to the Supreme Court, the FCC will need to rewrite its regulations, taking into account both the new legal landscape and its chairman’s own priorities. In a way, Chairman Tom Wheeler comes out the winner here, says Roslyn Layton of the American Enterprise Institute, a critic of net neutrality rules. “What he wants to do is change the game,” Layton said. “If I’m the new chairman, I don’t want the day-old bread. I want to make my own imprimatur.” In the long run, the case could substantially change the economics of the Internet. But neither side of the debate expects to see sweeping changes immediately.