The proposed 'net neutrality' rules are set to be voted by the five-member Federal Communications Commission (FCC) on Thursday, and the agency's Chairman Julius Genachowski has the backing of President Obama and two other democrat FCC members to push through the regulations.

However, 'net neutrality' or so-called open Internet proposal - which does not allow broadband providers to either favor or discriminate against Internet traffic - might see the intervention of the courts and perhaps even Congress; more so as the proposal has already faced strong opposition from the phone, cable and wireless bigwigs that provide a chunk of high-speed Internet connections in the US.

AT&T, Verizon and Comcast argue that with the kind of hefty investments they undertake, they should not be legally prohibited from offering premium services over their lines to distinguish themselves from their rivals, to ensure the profitability of their ventures.

In fact, it is not only the broadband providers that are opposing Genachowski's proposal, even the Republicans on the FCC and in Congress have expressed the opinion that network neutrality regulations would likely discourage broadband providers from going in for the expansion and upgrading of their systems.

Opposing the proposed 'net neutrality' move, Christopher Guttman-McCabe - the Regulatory Affairs VP for industry trade group CTIA-The Wireless Association - said: "There could be unintended consequences of applying net neutrality to wireless."