More than 100 online firms including Google, Amazon and Facebook have signed a joint letter to the U.S. Federal Communications Commission warning of "grave consequences" if it fails to protect the openness of the Internet.
The letter cites reports that the FCC plans to propose watered-down net neutrality rules next week that will allow cable and phone companies to charge online firms fees to prioritize their traffic on the Internet.
Critics say those rules would create a two-tier Internet that penalizes smaller firms and allows companies that are able to pay to offer better services.
"If these reports are correct, this represents a grave threat to the Internet," says the letter, addressed to Chairman Tom Wheeler and the other FCC commissioners.