FCC chairman: No timeline for new net neutrality rules

WASHINGTON, Nov. 22 (UPI) -- The chairman of the Federal Trade Commission said Friday the agency has no public timetable to develop and vote on the new net neutrality rules because it's trying to defend against the inevitable litigation.

Earlier this month President Barack Obama called on the FCC to reclassify the Internet as a utility, subjecting Internet service providers to Title II regulation.

FCC Chairman Tom Wheeler told reporters the agency is working to make sure the new rules will stand up in court, despite pressure from neutrality advocates to fast-track the issue.

"The big dogs are going to sue, regardless of what comes out," Wheeler said of the major broadband providers. "We need to make sure that we have sustainable rules. That starts with making sure that we have addressed the multiplicity of issues that have come along."

The last time the FCC tried to introduce net neutrality rules, which would have required equal treatment of traffic by ISPs, a legal challenge from Verizon was upheld in court.