When the Federal Communications Commission asked the public to send their views on network neutrality, it got an earful. The response was so huge that the deadline was extended due to technical problems. Those comments were recently published online as a 1.4 GB file, and NPR has posted this visualization of what they said.
NPR summarizes the main themes (other than the large number of F-bombs):
While the research showed several themes matched the talking points in the debate advocated in the press, the two more surprising emerging arguments were not outflows of advocacy group talking points or news media. They had to do with how the Internet affirms American principles.
One cluster focused on preserving net neutrality to maintain a diversity of opinion. Commenters argued that biasing faster traffic to the content providers that can pay for it removes a set of voices that should have a fair shake in sharing content.
The related but separate cluster of arguments had to do with the American dream. Commenters believe America should be a meritocracy, and that everyone should be able to compete equally with everyone else. Not preserving net neutrality, commenters argue, tilts the playing field away from everyone and toward firms in special positions of power.