Survey: Majority of voters oppose net neutrality

More than half of likely voters don't want the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) to regulate the Web as it does radio and television, according to a survey from Rasmussen Reports.

Fifty-four percent of likely voters oppose such regulation, while just 21 percent support it, according to the survey of likely voters taken just after the FCC last week approved Chairman Julius Genachowski's plan to prevent discrimination by Internet service providers against certain websites or applications.

Genachowski's plan has drawn heated criticism from both the left and right, with Republicans vowing to overturn the regulations during the next Congress. 

Republicans and independents overwhelmingly oppose the regulations, according to the survey, while Democrats are more divided. Survey respondents who are heavy Internet users are the most opposed to the FCC's approach, the survey found.

There was also a noticeable divide between mainsteam voters and the "political class," which according to Rasmussen overwhelmingly supports regulation and believes it could be handled in an unbiased manner. Fifty-six percent of voters think the FCC would use its authority to promote a political agenda.