AP
Recode's Tony Romm has a good rundown of multiple controversies playing out over the comments on the FCC's proposed rollback of net neutrality rules.
- There are allegations that bots are spamming the system with comments opposing net neutrality rules, and that activists are encouraging supporters of the rules to send form comments.
- Some commenters have also leveled personal attacks against Ajit Pai, the agency's chairman, drawing a rebuke from a top staffer.
Why it matters: While Pai's team has been clear that this debate isn't a popularity contest that hinges on the number of comments filed for a particular position, the record created by these consumer comments, as well as the more in-depth ones submitted by companies and advocacy groups, is the foundation on which the FCC's final decision is built. That makes the quality of the record a big deal when an issue like this goes to court, as officials expect will happen with the net neutrality rollback.