The ability to comment on net neutrality will be given an additional five days, with the Federal Communications Commission announcing that the reply comment period will move from Sept. 10 to Sept. 15.
That should give users a chance to continue to deliver their sentiments toward net neutrality, which has come under fire recently over the proposed establishment of "fast lanes" that would allow companies to pay for quicker Internet streaming.
Already, the FCC says it has received more than 1.1 million comments as it listens to the general public on the hot issue. That is the second-most comments the FCC has ever received, as Janet Jackson's "wardrobe malfunction" at the 2004 Super Bowl received 1.4 million.
Those comments have been released to the public for viewing. Most observers expect the net neutrality issue to become the most-commented ever for the FCC.
One of the main reasons for pushing back the deadline was that in July the FCC saw a number of technical issues with its website. The move to allow commenting on this round to continue additional days is part of the FCC's desire to allow as many people to comment on the topic as possible and match the initial extension.
"To ensure that members of the public have as much time as was initially anticipated to reply to initial comments in these proceedings, the bureau today is extending the reply comment deadline by three business days," the FCC said in a release.
At the heart of the issue is those "fast lanes," which many critics argue would help bring about the end of net neutrality -- the concept that all companies and people have access to the same Internet and one that stops companies from using their financial power to outdo competitors. The FCC has not denied that it is looking to approve such "fast lanes."
Many observers argue that fast lanes would bring about angst over the Internet and could see an increase in paywalls on many websites, which could bring about an end to the Internet as an open, widely available institution.
On April 25, the FCC fought back with a blog post where it tried to outline its role in fast lanes and allay fears among average citizens and industry experts who are fearing the worst, Tech Times reports.
"There has been a great deal of misinformation that has recently surfaced regarding the draft Open Internet Notice of Proposed Rulemaking that we will today circulate to the commission," the FCC wrote.
