CNET takes a look at the various ways Republicans are trying to kill the FCC's new neutrality rules, from a joint "Resolution of Disapproval" aimed at nullifying FCC rule-making, to an amendment tucked into a spending bill last week designed to eliminate FCC funding for rule enforcement. It has been interesting to see many Republican (and some Democrat) lawmakers fight so vehemently against the FCC's new network neutrality rules, when we've discussed repeatedly how they're largely for show, don't do all that much, and may be beaten down in court anyway. In fact CNET counts 16 things the rules don't cover, including wireless networks -- something AT&T and Verizon demanded:The CNET author in question, Larry Downes, joined vociferous neutrality opponent Brett Glass and Public Knowledge's Gigi Sohn before Congress last week at a neutrality hearing that covered absolutely no new ground in the debate. All three at least agreed that the FCC should have spent more time on competition and less time on weak rules. Meanwhile Republicans, many driven toward crushing the rules simply as contrarian partisans -- don't seem to really understand the rules probably won't survive legal assault -- and if they do are so loophole filled they won't do much of anything anyway. We declared network neutrality dead last September. This is just the twitching.

All of this is rather fitting for a debate that began with a CEO making absurd, ridiculous statements that he was going to charge companies who already pay for bandwidth an extra toll just to reach his customers. That was followed by five years of silly cartoons and people screaming at one another, culminating in the largest carriers convincing a pay-to-play government to pass paper thin rules -- instead of reclassifying ISPs as common carriers or seriously tackling market competition issues. We now get to enjoy several years of partisan gridlock and legal battles, and aside from slightly more intelligent network management systems, very little will have actually gotten accomplished. At least we got a show.