Uncertainty high after repeal of net neutrality rules

The Federal Communications Commission’s (FCC) vote to scrap net neutrality rules has sparked a vigorous debate about what comes next.  The effects of the FCC’s policy change will not be clear for some time, experts say.  “In the short term, little to nothing is going to be changing,” said Doug Brake, a policy analyst at the Information Technology and Innovation Foundation, a nonpartisan technology focused think-tank.  Gigi Sohn, a former policy adviser to past FCC Chairman Tom Wheeler and current fellow at Georgetown Law’s New Institute for Technology Law and Policy, has been a vocal critic of Pai’s move to scrap the net neutrality rules. But she said the impact of repeal will not be felt right away, especially given that the FCC’s action is now being challenged in court. “I think you’ll see a drip drip,” Sohn said. “The companies aren’t foolish enough to do anything until this is largely settled.” “There’s going to be fast and slow lanes...[Internet service providers] have been cagey about it but it's one of the things the fight has been about. If you’re a consumer and your favorite website doesn’t pay to be in the fast lane, it’s going to load slower.”