The pressure on FCC Chairman Tom Wheeler to save net neutrality seems to be working. Wheeler is revising his own proposal of new net neutrality rules, and will include language that will supposedly make it clear that the FCC won't allow Internet providers to discriminate among content and create slow and fast lanes.

In the new draft, Wheeler, a former cable and wireless industry lobbyist, will also consider whether such deals should be banned completely, and will accept comments on whether Internet providers should be treated as utilities, something that would allow the FCC to have more regulatory power over them. The change in Wheeler's proposal, first reported by The Wall Street Journal, was confirmed to Mashable by an FCC official.

In the last few weeks, after it was revealed that Wheeler was going to propose new rules that would allow Internet service providers and content providers to strike deals for preferential treatment, Wheeler has increasingly faced strong criticism from his fellow FCC commissioners, Internet activists, investors and major tech companies.

The mounting pressure has caused Wheeler to repeatedly state his commitment to an "open Internet" — the FCC's term for net neutrality — and even respond to a letter sent by Amazon, Google, Facebook and other Silicon Valley giants, saying he understands and agrees with their concerns.

Wheeler's new proposal will be circulated among other FCC commissioners on Monday, but it won't be released to the public until after Thursday, when the FCC meets to vote on the draft. After that, the FCC will open up a public comment period, in which the public and stakeholders will be able to put forth their own proposals and changes. The FCC will then write the final rules and vote on them.

This process was made necessary by a U.S. court ruling in January that partially struck down the FCC's net neutrality rules — known as the 2010 Open Internet Order. The court specifically ruled that the FCC didn't have authority to impose non-discrimination rules over broadband providers.

It's unclear whether Wheeler's new proposals will appease critics and activists, but at this point it appears that Wheeler is at least willing to engage in a discussion over net neutrality.

BONUS: Net Neutrality Explained [VIDEO]