‘Fast lane’ comments more than doubled FCC record

The number of comments the Federal Communications Commission received on its plans for new net neutrality regulations more than doubled the agency’s previous record of 1.4 million.

By the comment deadline of midnight on Monday, the agency had received about 3.7 million comments, an official said on Tuesday afternoon.

{mosads}The surge of public input — much of which came in recent days — has been heralded by critics of Chairman Tom Wheeler’s proposal, who warn that it could allow companies like Comcast and Time Warner Cable to create “fast lanes” on the Internet by charging websites like YouTube or Netflix for quicker service.

The previous record for FCC comments came in response to Janet Jackson’s infamous “wardrobe malfunction” at the 2004 Super Bowl.

Commenters hit that benchmark last week, amid a concerted online campaign in opposition to Wheeler’s plan, meaning that the FCC received more than 2 million new comments in the final days of its comment period.

Now the agency will review the millions of public comments and decide how to move forward. Wheeler has previously expressed a desire to finalize the rules by the end of the year. 

The FCC is considering new net neutrality rules after its previous regulations were tossed out by an appeals court earlier this year.