FCC's slow pace on Internet rules puzzles some

The Federal Communications Commission has been oddly slow in unleashing new powers to police the Internet, six months after finalizing network neutrality rules. The delay has kept the rules in a glass box, both preventing the FCC from cracking down on unwarranted blocking of Internet content and keeping legal challenges at bay.

Analysts could not pinpoint a reason for the delay in unleashing the new powers, but did not rule out the idea the FCC was stalling court and congressional challenges. "If to a degree the order is vulnerable from a judicial standpoint, it'll push out that much into the future any decision on whether the rules are going to be upheld or not," said Stifel Nicolaus analyst Rebecca Arbogast. The order cannot be challenged in the courts until it is published in the Federal Register. Lawmakers eager to overturn the rules are also held at bay as the Senate cannot expedite consideration of a measure passed in the House to throw out the regulations.