Ready, set, sue! Network Neutrality rules almost official

The Federal Communications Commission sent its network neutrality rules on their final steps to becoming reality on June 30. The agency sent the rules to the Office of Management and Budget to ensure they comply with arcane paper reduction rules -- and then the rules are on their way to printing in the Federal Register. Once that happens, anyone can file a lawsuit and get the ball rolling on testing these things in court.

The rules, based on a set of principles adopted in 2005, are an attempt to provide regulations that will keep ISPs from discriminating against traffic on their networks, so a broadband provider couldn't block content from Yahoo, for instance, or play favorites with certain web sites or services. The FCC had started this process in September 2009. Now, it could be as soon as 35 days before these rules hit the Federal Register or a bit longer, but for bureaucracy watchers (and those who care how the net neutrality fight plays out) this is a significant move.