FCC pushes back net neutrality deadline

The FCC extended the deadline for the reply comments for its open Internet proceeding, pushing the date to April 26.

The original deadline for the comments was tomorrow, April 8.

But in light of Tuesday’s federal court ruling that the FCC doesn’t have authority to regulate the web under broadband’s current statute classification, the agency is giving all stakeholders nearly three additional weeks to file their second round of comments.

The rulemaking process began in October, when FCC Chairman Julius Genachowski first sought public comment on draft net neutrality rules.

In its official notice of the extension, Wireline Competition Bureau Chief Sharon Gillett said it the FCC does not often grant extensions.

“However, we find that good cause exists to provide all parties an extension of the reply comment deadline,” she said. “We therefore grant parties an extension, until April 26, 2010, to file reply comments. We expect that this extension will help parties develop complete and useful replies.”