According to a story in Sunday's Wall Street Journal, a revised proposal will be circulated as early as Monday. It is intended to address complaints about his ideas for a "fast lane" that Internet providers could offer to content providers, for a fee.
At a meeting this Thursday, the FCC is expected to take up Wheeler's proposal. The meeting will also consider Net-neutrality proposals presented by the Mozilla Foundation and Columbia Law Professor Tim Wu, who actually first came up with the term "Net neutrality."
A letter protesting the fast-lane idea, with more than 100 companies signing, has been presented to the FCC. It includes a number of the most prominent Net companies, including Google, Microsoft and Netflix. More than 100 other groups have also presented petitions, made phone calls or held demonstrations against the fast-lane concept. In addition, three of the five FCC commissioners have expressed reservations.
The revised proposal, according to the Journal, will still include fast lanes, but will include a specification that the FCC will make sure this prioritization does not put companies that don't pay extra at a disadvantage.
But there are two revisions Wheeler is reportedly making that could change the conversation. One is a request for feedback on whether fast lanes, or "paid prioritization," should be prohibited entirely. The other is whether Internet service should be reclassified as a "common carrier," which would give the FCC a much broader range of regulatory powers.
Many of those protesting the fast lane concept have urged the FCC to reclassify, but Net providers are opposed.
Matt Davis, an analyst with...