Comcast, Charter and Time Warner Cable all tell investors strict network neutrality wouldn’t change much

Turns out, Verizon wasn't the only one trying to ease concerns about the Federal Communications Commission's potential aggressive network neutrality rules. On the same day Verizon was playing down the investment risks of stricter regulation, so too were three other major Internet providers: Comcast, Time Warner Cable and Charter Communications.

Executives from each of the three broadband companies said at an industry conference that the prospect of more stringent rules was something they could -- grudgingly, in some cases -- live with. That signal contrasts sharply with the broader industry's argument in Washington: that aggressive rules would cause new investments to dry up, hurting consumers in the process. Charter chief executive Tom Rutledge said so long as the FCC waived parts of Title II that weren't relevant -- a step that even staunch net neutrality advocates support -- it would be an acceptable outcome.