With the FCC poised to vote on Thursday on chairman Tom Wheeler’s net neutrality proposal, musical acts including R.E.M., Death Cab for Cutie, Joe Perry and Jeff and Spencer Tweedy are vowing to defend the new rules of the road for the Internet.

In a letter sent to Wheeler, dozens of musicians wrote in their letter that “there is a public interest imperative in preserving an open Internet, and the creative sector is a huge part of this interest.”

“We know that you will face political opposition and coordinated attacks from well-funded corporations,” they wrote. “But isn’t it cooler to have us on your side than some giant ISP? We think so. And we’ll step up to defend your plan because we know it’s the right call, and we know you understand the importance of making it.”

The full letter is here.

Also signing on were author Neil Gaiman, Amanda Palmer and the Kronos Quartet. The letter was organized by the Future of Music Coalition and Free Press.

Wheeler’s plan is to reclassify broadband as a Title II telecommunications service, a regulatory step that would give the FCC a firmer foundation with which to impose rules requiring that Internet service providers treat all content equally. The rules include a ban on blocking and throttling of content, or collecting payments for prioritizing content.

His proposal has drawn fierce opposition from ISPs, who say that it will burden them with regulation. Congressional Republicans also oppose the plan, and have scheduled a subcommittee hearing on Wednesday called “The Uncertain Future of the Internet.” The House Energy and Commerce Committee is among the committees that have asked the FCC and the White House for documents related to the rulemaking to investigate whether the Obama administration exercised undue influence over the independent agency.