Rep. Gene Green commends FCC decision

Genachowski launched a process Wednesday asking for public input on two sticking points in the net-neutrality rulemaking process: how to apply rules to wireless and specialized services.

Analysts said this week that the new data-collecting effort could delay net-neutrality rules for months. Some saw this as a political effort to avoid the optics wrought by imposing new regulations right before the midterms.

Some net-neutrality proponents said on Wednesday the net-neutrality delay does not preclude the FCC from reclassifying broadband under Title II. 

Rep. Edward Markey (D-Mass.) said the FCC should move on Title II as soon as October if Congress fails to clarify FCC authority this month.

Public advocates made a similar argument.

“Nothing in this public notice prevents the FCC from taking
prompt action on its ‘Third Way’ proceeding,” said Gigi Sohn, president of Public Knowledge.

“We expect the Commission will
move quickly to set the legal framework for the FCC to oversee broadband
Internet access services, with specific rules to protect the open Internet to
follow soon after,” she continued.

Green has been a vocal critic of Title II reclassification. He and more than 70 Democrats sent a letter to the FCC earlier this year urging it to not to reclassify. Some Democrats who favor net-neutrality rules have opposed reclassification, so it is unclear they would also see the delay as positive.

As Green sees it, seeking further public comment is tantamount to “acknowledging the need to tread carefully and to strike the correct balance that will further our shared goals of preserving an open Internet, promoting broadband innovation, and expanding broadband deployment in underserved areas.”