Reuters reported today that trade associations representing Internet service providers "are expected to take the lead in suing the Federal Communications Commission" over its new net neutrality rules.

Verizon sued after the FCC issued net neutrality regulations in 2010. The company ultimately won its case, but the victory backfired because the federal appeals court ruling paved the way for the FCC to impose even stronger rules.

"[A]t least some companies, including Verizon Communications Inc, are currently not planning to bring individual lawsuits and instead aim to participate through trade groups," Reuters reported, citing "several people familiar with the plan."

"We believe there will be a lot of litigation, which will probably be led by industry associations," Verizon CFO Fran Shammo told Reuters.

Suing through trade groups "would allow companies to streamline their litigation efforts and could help firms avoid drawing any fire individually, as Verizon did after it challenged the previous version of net neutrality rules on its own in 2010," the report said. The National Cable & Telecommunications Association, CTIA-The Wireless Association, and USTelecom are the most likely to sue, according to Reuters.

FCC Chairman Tom Wheeler has said he expects lawsuits from the industry, and that's one reason the FCC issued the rules using its strongest authority, the common carrier provisions in Title II of the Communications Act. The court ruling vacating the 2010 rules said prohibitions on blocking and discrimination were "per se common carrier obligations" and thus could not be imposed unless the FCC reclassified broadband providers as common carriers. "We have addressed that issue" by reclassifying broadband providers, Wheeler said after last month's vote.