Federal Communications Commission Chairman Tom Wheeler responded to a recent video critical of his proposal on net neutrality, saying that, “I would like to state for the record that I am not a dingo.”
FCC’s Wheeler on Viral Net Neutrality Video: “I Am Not a Dingo.”
He added that he found the video “creative and funny,” and that its popularity showed “the high level of interest in the topic.”
HBO/YouTube
Wheeler was responding to a video from comedian John Oliver explaining net neutrality that went viral recently and savages the agency and Wheeler, a former cable industry lobbyist. In the video, Oliver compares tapping Wheeler, a former top cable lobbyist, to run the FCC as akin to hiring a dingo as a babysitter.
“I like John Oliver. I think it was creative and funny,” Wheeler said of the video, saying that its popularity showed “the high level of interest in the topic.”
Former “The Daily Show” regular John Oliver offered a 13-minute explainer on net neutrality recently on his new HBO show “Last Week Tonight.” It ended with a call to arms to Internet trolls, imploring them to unleash their poorly spelled fury on the FCC’s website.
The video began going viral on Facebook and Twitter Monday, at which point the FCC’s comment system promptly crashed. The FCC has already received more than 100,000 comments about the issue.
Oliver’s net neutrality video has been seen more than 3.5 million times on YouTube. It’s now second only to a video about the World Cup as Oliver’s most popular video.
Wheeler has been on the defensive about his net neutrality plan since it was leaked in April. His proposal opens the door to allowing Internet providers to offer content companies fast-lane access, although Wheeler has said the agency might not allow the practice.
This article originally appeared on Recode.net.
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