If you aren’t angry with Netflix, you darn well ought to be – especially if you were duped into supporting “net neutrality” and a heavy hand by the FCC in imposing regulations on the Internet in part as a result of Netflix lobbying.

Many users of the Internet, especially those who rely on the net for video, have watched the “net neutrality” debate intensely, and a lot of individuals as well as businesses called on the FCC to implement access rules. A big voice in the battle for “neutrality” was Netflix.

Now it turns out big carriers such as Verizon and AT&T were not at fault for throttling down net speeds.

Netflix was – by its own admission. For that, the company deserves a lot of catcalls, and a think tank gives Netfles its first “Tech Hypo(crite) Award.”

The Netflix concession came in an interview with the Wall Street Journal, and media outlets have been blasting headlines about this story.

“Tech Darling Cynically Manipulated Net Neutrality Debate to Ban What It Did in Secret,” says Washington, D.C.-based Tech Freedom.

The group noted that “Netflix admitted the company has long been throttling its traffic for AT&T and Verizon customers without their knowledge or consent.”

Its concern?

“[T]o protect our members from overage charges when they exceed mobile data caps, our default bitrate for viewing over mobile networks has been capped globally at 600 kilobits per second. It’s about striking a balance that ensures a good streaming experience while avoiding unplanned fines from mobile providers.”

Give me a break.

“Failing to disclose this practice to consumers is bad enough, but Netflix’s political hypocrisy is astounding,” said Berin Szoka, president of TechFreedom.

TechFreedom then summarizes how Netflix lobbied for neutrality and a ban on throttling.

The Obama Administration joined the call, and the FCC implemented its regulations last year. Those rules are being fought in court by providers such as AT&T, an executive of which said he was “outraged” by what Netflix did.

“It turns out Netflix was really saying ‘Net neutrality for thee, but not for me,’” TechFreedom’s Szoka said. “The only question is whether Netflix was throttling user traffic at the time, or if it only decided to do so later. To be clear, there’s nothing inherently wrong with Netflix’s throttling.

“‘Throttling’ video speeds may sound scary, but it can benefit consumers for the very reasons Netflix cites today. So why didn’t Netflix just disclose the practice? Was Netflix afraid the angry mob it helped create would turn on it? And where was its talk of ‘striking a balance that ensures a good streaming experience’ when it was lobbying the FCC to ban throttling outright?”

The group raises a big question:

Did the FCC know about this? If so, why not disclose it?

If not, why not?

Szoka wants answers.

“Are our new Internet cops so clueless that they failed to notice the difference between Netflix speeds on various mobile networks? Are they so blinded by their preconceived narrative — ‘Must regulate ISPs, must protect Netflix!’ — that they simply failed to ask the question? Or did they know, but look the other way — while picking winners and losers in how they applied their ‘strong net neutrality’ rules?

“At a minimum, FCC Chairman Tom Wheeler is guilty of gross incompetence. But if he actually knew about Netflix’s hypocrisy and covered it up, he doesn’t just deserve a Tech Hypo award of his own, he deserves to be removed from office.”