Poll: 83 percent of voters support keeping FCC's net neutrality rules

More than 80 percent of voters oppose the Federal Communications Commission’s plan to repeal its net neutrality rules, according to a new poll from the University of Maryland’s Program for Public Consultation. The survey presented respondents with detailed arguments from both supporters and opponents of the repeal plan, before asking them where they stood on the rules. It found that 83 percent overall favored keeping the FCC rules, including 75 percent of Republicans, 89 percent of Democrats and 86 percent of independents.

“A decision to repeal net neutrality would be tacking against strong headwinds of public opinion blowing in the opposite direction,” said Steven Kull, the director of the university program. 

Overall, 48 percent of all voters found the argument to repeal the rules convincing and 51 percent found it unconvincing. Fifty-nine percent of Republicans found the argument convincing, compared with 35 percent of Democrats. Three-quarters of all voters found the argument in favor of keeping the rules convincing, including 72 percent of Republicans and 78 percent of Democrats.