The battle lines are drawn in the fight over net neutrality, at least in terms of the court schedule for filing briefs on both sides of the issue, and it looks like there will be no decision until sometime in 2019.
That is according to the U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit, which this week released the briefing schedule.
Free Press, Mozilla and other challengers to the FCC's Dec. 14, 2017, decision to roll back network-neutrality rules have until Aug. 20 to file their briefs, as does the FCC to defend that decision.
Survey: Net Neutrality Could Be Midterm Issue
Those wishing to intervene in the case -- take a position but are not parties to the case -- can weigh in by Oct. 18.
Reply briefs are due Nov. 16, with final briefs due Nov. 27. The court has yet to set a date for oral argument or to announce the makeup of the three-judge panel that will hear the appeal.
The FCC, under chair Ajit Pai, voted along party lines to roll back the rules against blocking, throttling or prioritizing internet access for pay, and reclassified internet access service as a Title I information service free from the Title II common-carrier regime.
