Democrats put heat on Commissioner Copps on network neutrality vote

The Democrats have a message for Democratic Federal Communications Commission member Michael Copps: Don't screw things up on network neutrality.

Democrats allied with FCC Chairman Julius Genachowski are working to put public pressure on Commissioner Copps as the network neutrality vote draws near. Chairman Genachowski needs Commissioner Copps to vote for his plan during a commission meeting on Dec 21 if the rules are to pass. As a result, Democrats who support the plan are pushing this message in the media: If Copps doesn't vote for Genachowski's plan, the consequences will reverberate all the way up to the White House. They are arguing that the damage could even hurt President Obama.

A prominent Democrat close to the White House said it this way on Dec 17: "If Copps votes no on Tuesday, he'd be handing the president a huge loss at a time when the Democrats should have a big win."