The backlash is building over the plan to gut net neutrality

The Republican-helmed Federal Communications Commission is expected to pull the plug on net neutrality rules — but tech companies, entrepreneurs and other concerned users are vowing to not go down without a fight. Engine, a nonprofit group representing more than 1,000 start-ups and investors, released an open letter to FCC Chairman Ajit Pai detailing how they're worried they won't have a fair chance under his proposal. "Without net neutrality, the incumbents who provide access to the internet would be able to pick winners or losers in the market. They could impede traffic from our services in order to favor their own services or established competitors," the letter said. "Or they could impose new tolls on us, inhibiting consumer choice." The signatories said they're worried these actions could hinder the ability of new entrepreneurs to start a business and have a global reach — shifting the focus away from the quality of their ventures to whether they have the "capacity to pay tolls to internet access providers." Evan Greer of Fight for the Future, a digital rights advocacy group, said the group has helped to connect more than 250,000 calls to Congress since Chairman Pai announced his intention to nix net neutrality rules. But while tech companies and average Joes can sign open letters and call Congress as many times as they want, there may actually be little the public can do to stop the FCC from gutting net neutrality rules. Under Pai's plan, states and localities would have their hands tied if they wanted to create their own net neutrality laws.