[tubemonkey]

The FCC votes today.

Amid protests, U.S. FCC to vote on new 'net neutrality' proposal

U.S. telecommunications regulators will vote on Thursday on whether to formally propose new "net neutrality" rules that may let Internet service providers charge content companies for faster and more reliable delivery of their traffic to users.

Federal Communications Commission Chairman Tom Wheeler has come under fire from consumer advocates and technology companies for proposing to allow some "commercially reasonable" deals where content companies could pay broadband providers to prioritize traffic on their networks.

Critics worry the rules would create "fast lanes" for companies that pay up and mean slower traffic for others, although Wheeler has pledged to prevent "acts to divide the Internet between 'haves' and 'have nots.'"

Wheeler's proposal reaches the tentative conclusion that some pay-for-priority deals may be allowed, but asks whether the FCC should presume "some or all" such deals are illegal, according to an FCC official briefed on the proposal. It also asks whether the FCC should instead consider reclassification or other net neutrality proposals.

The two Republican FCC commissioners are expected to vote against Wheeler's proposal. Wheeler's two fellow Democrats have both expressed misgivings about the plan, but are likely to vote to launch the process and open it up to public comment.