A corrupted public comment process should lead the FCC to delay its upcoming net neutrality vote

[Commentary] Net neutrality shouldn't be a controversial issue. Pipelines and power grids, telephones and railroads, all must comply with common carrier regulations that prohibit discrimination and special treatment. There's little reason for the internet to be any different. The promise of the internet exists in its open, unrestricted nature. Nevertheless, the Federal Communications Commission is scheduled to vote on rolling back its net neutrality regulations on Thursday, Dec. 14.  The tech trade group Internet Association is pushing for the FCC to delay its vote. This would be a smart move. The upcoming decision on net neutrality has been tarnished by questions about whether official public comments to the FCC were littered with fraudulent submissions.  If we lose net neutrality, expect to see more corporate contraptions designed to promote Wall Street concerns and squeeze consumers for cash in exchange for worse service and fewer options. Don't like it? Too bad, you might be stuck. More than 50 million U.S. households lack any competition in the broadband market. If Pai wants to see innovation, maybe he should start by breaking up these lumbering corporate giants. The internet doesn't exist to serve as a cash cow for telecoms and the American people must not tolerate regulations that allow these near-monopolies to occupy the internet with their own private toll booths.