In perhaps the most motley crew (as opposed to Mötley Crüe) of tech and Internet companies ever assembled for a single cause, around 150 businesses representing everything from content and infrastructure to gaming, crowdfunding and 3-D printing have written the FCC to ask that it not completely screw up net neutrality.

The letter (full text below) is addressed to Chairman Tom Wheeler and his fellow FCC commissioners, though Wheeler is definitely the intended recipient, as it was his boneheaded idea to half-arse a second attempt at net neutrality by allowing so-called “fast lanes,” which would allow Internet service providers like Verizon to charge content companies a premium for faster and more reliable service to the end-user.

Chairman Wheeler maintains that his proposed neutrality rules would still be in the spirit of an unbiased Internet because they would prohibit ISPs from actively blocking or slowing down content. But that is only half the neutrality equation; the recently gutted FCC rules forbade giving anyone higher priority distribution of their data.

“According to recent news reports, the Commission intends to propose rules that would enable phone and cable Internet service providers to discriminate both technically and financially against Internet companies and to impose new tolls on them,” reads the letter. “If these reports are correct, this represents a grave threat to the Internet.”

The letter’s authors believe that neutrality rules “should protect users and Internet companies on both fixed and mobile platforms against blocking, discrimination, and paid prioritization, and should make the market for Internet services more transparent. The rules should provide certainty to all market participants and keep the costs of regulation low.”

It calls upon the FCC to “take the necessary steps to ensure that the Internet remains an open platform for speech and commerce so that America continues to lead the world in technology markets.”

While the letter isn’t exactly the most scathing takedown of fast lanes, one has to appreciate both its plainspoken, common-sense approach to the subject, and the sheer number of companies that have signed on.

Whether the FCC heeds these companies’ call, or those from concerned consumers, remains to be seen. We’ll know more next week when the full commission votes on how to proceed with the draft introduced by Chairman Wheeler.

Below is the full text of the letter, complete with list of signatories:

Dear Chairman Wheeler and Commissioners Clyburn, Rosenworcel, Pai, and O’Reilly: We write to express our support for a free and open internet. Over the past twenty years, American innovators have created countless Internet-based applications, content offerings, and services that are used around the world. These innovations have created enormous value for Internet users, fueled economic growth, and made our Internet companies global leaders. The innovation we have seen to date happened in a world without discrimination. An open Internet has also been a platform for free speech and opportunity for billions of users. The Commission’s long-standing commitment and actions undertaken to protect the open Internet are a central reason why the Internet remains an engine of entrepreneurship and economic growth. According to recent news reports, the Commission intends to propose rules that would enable phone and cable Internet service providers to discriminate both technically and financially against Internet companies and to impose new tolls on them. If these reports are correct, this represents a grave threat to the Internet. Instead of permitting individualized bargaining and discrimination, the Commission’s rules should protect users and Internet companies on both fixed and mobile platforms against blocking, discrim- ination, and paid prioritization, and should make the market for Internet services more transparent. The rules should provide certainty to all market participants and keep the costs of regulation low. Such rules are essential for the future of the Internet. This Commission should take the necessary steps to ensure that the Internet remains an open platform for speech and commerce so that America continues to lead the world in technology markets. Sincerely, Amazon

Cogent

Dropbox

Ebay

Etsy

Facebook

Foursquare

Google

Kickstarter

Level 3

LinkedIn

Lyft

Microsoft

Netflix

Reddit

Tumblr

Twitter

Vonage Holdings Corp.

Yahoo! Inc.

Zynga

2600hz, Inc.

2redbeans

4chan

8×8, Inc.

Addy

AdviserDeck

Agile Learning Labs

Airdroids

AirHelp

AnalyticsMD

Appar

Apportable

AppRebates

Apptology

Assembly Made, Inc.

Authentise

Automattic/WordPress.com

BadgerMapping

Bitnami

BitTorrent

Blu Zone

CBeyond

Chirply

Clef

CloudFare

Codecademy

CodeCombat

CodeHS

CodeScience

Colourful Rebel

Contextly

Coursera

CrowdTilt

Cube, Co

dasData

Digg

Distinc.tt

DuckDuckGo

Duolingo

DynaOptics

Embedly

Fandor

Floor64

Flowroute

Flurry

Fonebook

Funeral Innovations

Gandi

General Assembly

Github

Grid

Handy Networks

Haystack.tv

Heavybit Industries

HelloSign

HeyZap

iFixit

iLost

Imgur

Instapaper

inXile Entertainment

Kaltura

LawGives

Leaflad

LendUp

Linearair

Linknovate

littleBits

Lucipher.net

MDDHosting LLC

Medium

Meetup

Meteor Development Group

Minds + Machines

Misk

MixRank

MobileWorks

Motionry

MozartMedical

Mozilla

NOTCOT Inc

O’Reilly Media

OfficeNinjas

Open Materials

Open Spectrum

OpenDNS

Opera Software ASA

PayTango

Pocket/ReaditLater

Poll Everywhere, Inc

Printrbot

Publitas.com

Rallyware

Recrout

Redbubble

Rewheel/Digital Fuel Monitor

Reylabs

Rogue Labs

Shapeways

Sidecar

Sift Science

Simpolaris

SketchDeck

Skytree

SlidePay, Inc

Socialscope

Solidoodle

SpiderOak

SpoonRocket

Spotfront

StackExchange

StartX

Stanford

Statwing

Tastemaker

The Next Web

Triggit

Tsumobi

Tucows

Twilio

UberConference

UltiMachine

Ustream

Vidmaker

Volary Foundation

Voys Telecom

Waxy

Worldly

Xola

Yanomo