FCC to vote on net neutrality at December 21 meeting

The Federal Communications Commission will vote on whether to adopt rules to preserve net neutrality at its December 21st open meeting, according to a tentative agenda released just after midnight on Wednesday.

According to the agenda the FCC will consider "adopting basic rules of the road to preserve the open Internet as a platform for innovation, investment, competition, and free expression."

"These rules would protect consumers’ and innovators’ right to know basic information about broadband service, right to send and receive lawful Internet traffic, and right to a level playing field, while providing broadband Internet access providers with the flexibility to reasonably manage their networks," the agenda continues.

FCC chairman Julius Genachowski was widely expected to announce his plans for moving forward with net neutrality rules after Tuesday's November open meeting.

In a nod to the importance and combative nature of the issue, there is only one other item on the agenda: a discussion on how to transition the current voice-only 9-1-1 system to a next-generation, broadband-enabled platform.