The American public cares so much about the open Internet that it crashed the Federal Communications Commission’s Web site.
The FCC extended Tuesday’s deadline for comments on its proposals governing Internet traffic until Friday after a last-minute surge of submissions overwhelmed its site.
“Not surprisingly, we have seen an overwhelming surge in traffic on our Web site,” the regulator said in a statement. “Accordingly, we are extending the comment deadline until midnight July 18.”
The FCC said comments can also be e-mailed to openinternet@fcc.gov, which, as of Tuesday, had received more than a half-million e-mail comments.
Critics complain that the FCC’s proposed rules kowtow to big cable companies by allowing them to create “fast lanes” for companies willing to pay up while everyone else is stuck in the slow lane.
Public interest in the issue spiked last month when comedian John Oliver blasted the FCC’s proposed rules on his HBO show.