The Federal Communications Commission has extended the deadline for submitting initial comments on its network neutrality plan. Instead of expiring today, the initial comment period will last until Friday, July 18 at midnight.

"Not surprisingly, we have seen an overwhelming surge in traffic on our website that is making it difficult for many people to file comments through our Electronic Comment Filing System (ECFS)," an FCC announcement this afternoon said. "Please be assured that the Commission is aware of these issues and is committed to making sure that everyone trying to submit comments will have their views entered into the record."

The FCC website buckled under the pressure of thousands of people trying to comment before the deadline, as we reported earlier. The FCC has received about 670,000 comments on its proposal, though about two-thirds of those came through e-mail rather than the online system.

It appears that the vast majority of commenters support network neutrality rules, with many arguing that the FCC's proposal is too lenient. As of now, the FCC's plan would prevent ISPs from blocking Web services but allow them to charge Web companies for "fast lanes" that give them faster access to consumers than services that don't pay the fees.

If the FCC comment site remains inaccessible, people can get their views into the official record by e-mailing openinternet@fcc.gov. Additionally, this week's deadline is just for initial comments. Reply comments can be submitted until September 10.