The FCC Chairman's plan has been called a 'grave threat to the Internet.' FCC facing net neutrality revolt

FCC Chairman Tom Wheeler’s controversial net neutrality proposal showed signs of fraying Wednesday, taking hits from a fellow Democratic commissioner and the nation’s leading tech companies.

After weeks of backlash, Commissioner Jessica Rosenworcel said a scheduled May 15 vote on the plan should be delayed at least a month, while Google, Facebook and other Web giants slammed the proposal as a “grave threat to the Internet.”


Wheeler late Wednesday vowed to move forward with the vote. The plan has sparked a firestorm of criticism for allowing Internet service providers like AT&T and Verizon to charge companies for faster delivery of content.

“I have real concerns about FCC Chairman Wheeler’s proposal on network neutrality — which is before the agency right now,” Rosenworcel said during a Washington speech. “While I do not know now where this conversation will head on a substantive basis, I can tell you right now I have real concerns about process.”

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Without Rosenworcel’s support, Wheeler’s plan is unlikely to win the three commission votes necessary to go forward. Despite the opposition, the chairman showed no signs of backing down.

“Moving forward will allow the American people to review and comment on the proposed plan without delay, and bring us one step closer to putting rules on the books to protect consumers and entrepreneurs online,” an FCC spokesman said in a statement.

The FCC’s two Republicans are unlikely to support any network neutrality proposal, and the other Democratic commissioner, Mignon Clyburn, reiterated her opposition to “pay for priority arrangements” in a blog post Wednesday.

“There is no doubt that preserving and maintaining a free and open Internet is fundamental to the core values of our democratic society, and I have an unwavering commitment to its independence,” Clyburn wrote. “My mind remains open as I continue to evaluate how best to promote these fundamental, core values.”

Also Wednesday, the nation’s leading tech companies warned the FCC that Wheeler’s proposal “would enable phone and cable Internet service providers to discriminate both technically and financially against Internet companies and impose new tolls on them.”

The companies, including Amazon, Yahoo, LinkedIn, Foursquare and Zynga, said the commission’s 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 developments throw into turmoil the FCC’s latest effort to establish rules for treating all Web traffic equally. The commission’s previous attempt was tossed by the D.C. Circuit Court of Appeals earlier this year, with the court saying the legal logic used by the FCC was flawed.

Wheeler’s current proposal has generated more than 26,000 public comments at the commission, most of which back strong network neutrality protections.

The chairman has been largely on his own defending the plan, lacking support from congressional Democrats, who say they have concerns. And while the White House has said it supports preserving an open Internet, officials say they haven’t seen the proposal and note the FCC is an independent agency.

Rep. Anna Eshoo (D-Calif.), the ranking member of the House telecom subcommittee, expressed support for Rosenworcel’s call for a delay.

“I think she has a very good point. The chairman had a vote scheduled on the proposal for May 15, that’s in a handful of days,” she said during a Google Hangout Wednesday. “So unless all of the commissioners can really absorb the comments people are emailing in, or registering over the phone, I think she has a very good point.”

Alex Byers and Tony Romm contributed to this report.