Upton: Under GOP, Genachowski to be 'familiar face' on Capitol Hill

"I hope that the only turkey cooking next week will be in our kitchens on Thanksgiving and not at the FCC," he said.

Upton said he is "alarmed and disappointed" by the possibility that the FCC might "blatantly seek to circumvent Congress and seize authority that they do not have."

He urged the agency not to "poison the well before the new Congress is sworn in," and to instead "stand down on any movement toward net neutrality."

The FCC should instead work with Republicans in the next Congress, he said.

"We should work to create jobs rather than impose further regulations that will extinguish the flicker of economic hope that now burns with the prospect of a new Congress,” he said. 

Upton is in a heated race to become chairman of the House Energy and Commerce Committee, a powerful panel overseeing the FCC and telecom policy, as well as other topics.