The chairman of the U.S. Federal Communications Commission has no plans to release the text of his proposed net neutrality order before a scheduled commission vote on it later this month, despite a request from some Republican lawmakers to do so.

FCC Chairman Tom Wheeler will stick with the long-time agency practice of allowing commissioners to “confer privately” about the proposed order in the three weeks leading up to the scheduled Feb. 26 vote, he said in a Monday letter to Republican leaders of the Senate Science, Commerce and Transportation Committee and the House of Representatives Energy and Commerce Committee.

Last month, top Republicans on the two committees called on Wheeler to release the text of his proposed order in order to give the public the opportunity to debate it before the FCC vote. Wheeler, as expected, is reportedly moving toward controversial new rules that would reclassify broadband as a regulated public utility, with some regulations similar to those imposed on common-carrier telephone service.

Despite the request from congressional Republicans, Wheeler wrote that the commission’s net neutrality rule-making process, begun about a year ago, has given “stakeholders and members of the public ample opportunity to engage in a transparent and vigorous discussion.” The FCC has received about 4 million public comments on net neutrality rules and hosted six public roundtables on the topic during the past year, Wheeler noted.

http://www.pcworld.com/article/2879392/fcc-chairman-doesnt-plan-to-release-net-neutrality-order-before-vote.html