Key net-neutrality advocates oppose Genachowski's plan

A who's-who of the most influential net-neutrality advocates has decided to oppose Federal Communications Commission (FCC) Chairman Julius Genachowski's plan for regulating Internet lines, which he announced earlier this month.

The groups declared their opposition to the proposal in a meeting with Democratic FCC Commissioner Michael Copps and his staff on Thursday. The groups released the ex parte document describing the meeting on Monday.

"At the outset of the meeting, the participants expressed their unanimous unwillingness to support the proposed open-Internet framework in its present form as they understand it," according to the ex parte document.

The participants included Jeffrey Blum, Dish Network; Parul Desai, Consumers Union; Michael Drobac, Netflix; Harold Feld, Public Knowledge; Michael Forscey, Writers Guild West; Joel Kelsey, Free Press; Sascha Meinrath, New America Foundation; Emmett O’Keefe, Amazon.com; Staci Pies, Skype; Andrew Jay Schwartzman, Media Access Project; Gigi Sohn, Public Knowledge; Aparna Sridhar, Free Press.

Some of the groups, including Public Knowledge, had supported the proposal as legislation drafted by House Energy and Commerce Committee Chairman Henry Waxman (D-Calif.). However, the ex parte said that "unlike legislation ... agency rules can only be adopted based on the rulemaking record, and that the record developed at the FCC does not support adoption of Chairman Waxman’s framework."

It is possible that Genachowski could alter his proposal before the vote. The groups want it to include a ban on paid prioritization, a clearer definition of broadband Internet access service and stronger rules for wireless networks.

Genachowski needs Copps's vote if the framework is to pass.

Senate Commerce Communications Chairman John Kerry (D-Mass.) has urged Copps to support the plan even though it is not "perfect." Sen. Al Franken (D-Minn.) said a weak proposal could do more harm than good.