According to the study, by Coleman Bazelon, a telecom economist with The Brattle Group, network neutrality rules being adopted by the U.S. Federal Communications Commission could lead to the loss of more than 340,000 jobs in the broadband industry over the next 10 years. Besides, close to 1.5 million jobs across the U.S. economy could be put in jeopardy by 2020, and revenue growth in the broadband industry would slow by about one-sixth during that time frame

Moreover, Bazelon forecasts that spending in the broadband industry would decrease by US$5 billion in 2011 if the FCC passes formal net neutrality rules. The research says that broadband deployment in the U.S. is a "success story.” Nearly 95% of U.S. residents have fixed broadband available, and 98% have 3G mobile broadband available.

On the other hand, Derek Turner, research director with Free Press, also a media reform group, notes that telecom companies have been cutting jobs for years, independent of what's been going on with net neutrality regulations.

The assertion that net neutrality will lead to job cuts "is plainly unsupported by the facts, and actually contradicts what unfortunately has become the ISP industry's default behavior, as was demonstrated by Verizon yesterday," Turner said. "In this consolidated industry, as revenues rise, jobs are cut."

"With network neutrality, content innovation will prosper, furthering demand for high-capacity, ubiquitous Internet access, which in turn will stimulate ISP investment and increase the need for and the value of more jobs," he said. "But without network neutrality, ISPs will be incentivized to reduce network investments and jobs, in order to make congestion the norm."