Why the FCC Is Being So Vague About Net Neutrality

[Commentary] Federal regulators are trying to leave themselves plenty of power to oversee the Internet -- they're just not willing to get too specific about what they plan to do with it.

The Federal Communications Commission is moving ahead with a network neutrality proposal, but no one knows exactly what business practices it would ban. And for the FCC, that's all part of the strategy. The commission wants a vague standard to allow Internet companies to experiment with new business models, while giving the agency authority to step in when it sees abuses.

A senior FCC official argued that "putting rigid rules in place" would not let the Internet "evolve in a natural way." But the official added that "the government has to be in a position to oversee the Internet and intervene if it needs to."

Vague rules could allow future FCC chairmen (especially Republicans) to be lax on enforcement, letting Internet providers get away with a host of abuses. The next administration could essentially ignore net neutrality if the regulations don't specify which particular business practices are illegal.