Net Neutrality Rules May Slow Innovation, but Uncertainty Will Be Worse

What will happen if the Federal Communications Commission successfully eliminates President Barack Obama’s network neutrality rules? Unfortunately, that seems like anyone’s guess, and such an uncertain environment could leave us with even less investment by Internet service providers and content providers alike—more than 800 tech startups wrote FCC Chairman Ajit Pai recently, urging him not to kill the rules.

It’s plausible that we could end up with no regulations at all, at least for a time. The agency could try to enact new rules, which would likely be more business-friendly and allow certain things that weren’t allowed under Obama’s rules, like Internet fast lanes. Ultimately, Congress has the power to step in and clarify the situation with legislation that establishes some sort of yet-to-be determined protections for content providers. If recent history is any guide, however, it's a long shot that this Congress will come up with a compromise on net neutrality anytime soon.