A Federal Communications Commission spokesperson says that the agency is expected to send its net neutrality rules to the Office of Management Budget for Paperwork Reduction Act for vetting very soon. Of course, as Free Press points out, this is the first time that the FCC has admitted that it has dragged its feet on sending them in. Net neutrality rules were adopted in December 2010 but because of new reporting rules and requirements the commission had to put it out for comment and has been vetting it since April.
The rules can't be challenged in court until they are published in the Federal Register, which can't do that until the rules go through the OMB and are put out for 30 days. Then the rules don't go into effect for another 60 days. Given all of that the rules won't likely go into effect until October of this year.
Over the last several months, Republicans - who didn't like the rules or the concept of net neutrality in general - complained that the FCC appeared to be delaying court or congressional challenges with the process. In April a spokesperson for the FCC Chairman said that that was not the case: "the Order quite simply is going through the normal process for clearing Paperwork Reduction Act requirements before being published in the Federal Register."
OMB is vetting the paperwork-collection requirements so that they are in compliance with Congress's Paperwork Reduction Act mandate.
Source: BroadcastingCable by way of Free Press
