If FCC chairman Tom Wheeler is floating the idea of a hybrid Title II/Sec. 706 network neutrality regime to gauge the reaction from Title II fans and foes, he was getting it Friday. Neither side seemed happy with that alternative.

[…]

“We appreciate the effort the FCC has put into devising new rules to preserve an open Internet for content creators and innovators,” said the Future of Music Coalition. “However, net neutrality advocates care less about how slick the rules are, and more about whether they’ll stand up in court. “Because last time they didn’t….We don’t want clever net neutrality. We want real net neutrality.”

[…]

The Federal Communications Commission could have used an Internet “fast lane” on Tuesday as a flood of net neutrality comments caused its website to sputter and forced the agency to extend its deadline for accepting public input on its controversial plan.

[…]

“We music people know payola when we see it, and what we see in Chairman Wheeler’s proposal doesn’t give us any confidence that we won’t end up with an Internet where pay-by-play rules the day,” the consortium of musicians wrote. “We’ve heard this song before, and we’re frankly pretty tired of it.

[…]

The US Federal Communications Commission (FCC) is taking lots of flak for its net neutrality proposals, with critics arguing against its proposals to allow ISPs to charge digital media companies for smooth access to their customers. Now more musicians are engaging with the debate, in an open letter to FCC chairman Tom Wheeler signed by OK Go, Michael Stipe, Eddie Vedder, Roger Waters, Jello Biafra, Neko Case, Fugazi, David Lowery, Aerosmith’s Joe Perry, the Black Crowes’ Rich Robinson and other artists. “The open Internet’s impact on the creative community cannot be overstated. The Internet has enabled artists to connect directly with each other and with audiences. It has eliminated the barriers of geography and taken collaborations to new levels.

THIS week, it seems, has brought us closer to the end of net neutrality, with the FCC getting closer to approving a pay-to-play “fast lane.” The fear among purveyors and enthusiasts of indie culture is that there will be a tiered Internet, one for wealthy corporations and a slow one for the rest. Enormous power would go to broadband companies.

It’s still unclear where this is all going, but one important group — Future of Music Coalition — has released a letter to the FCC chair urging a return to the open Internet and arguing that “the FCC is now proposing rules that would kill — rather than protect — Net Neutrality and allow rampant discrimination online.” The letter continues: read more