NEW YORK — Burger King is delivering its own hot take on a regulatory showdown that has inflamed the U.S., using a flame-grilled Whopper.

Burger King’s new ad has become a sensation, with more than a million views on YouTube, and it’s also lighting up Twitter.

Customers in the ad, whom the restaurant says are not actors, are told they will be charged different prices for a Whopper based on speed, or MBPS (making burgers per second). Prices range from $5 to $26. The customers grow increasingly furious in an art-imitating-life display that mocks new internet rules that have led to wide-scale protests, even death threats.

There’s even a jab at Ajit Pai, who heads the federal commission that voted last month to eliminate net-neutrality protections for the internet (hint: look for the colossal Reese’s coffee mug).

Look for the big Reese’s mug of FCC Chairman Ajit Pai in Burger King’s net neutrality protest ad. Associated Press/Jacquelyn Martin

Net neutrality is the principle that internet providers treat all web traffic equally, and it’s pretty much how the internet has worked since its creation.

The Federal Communications Commission last month repealed the Obama-era rules, giving internet service providers like Verizon, Comcast and AT&T a free hand to slow or block websites and apps as they see fit or charge more for faster speeds.

The FCC decision has led to a fierce pushback by consumers, law enforcement and major corporations.

Last week, a group of attorneys general for 21 states and the District of Columbia sued to block the rules. So did Mozilla, the maker of the Firefox browser, public-interest group Free Press and New America’s Open Technology Institute.


Only subscribers are eligible to post comments. Please subscribe or login first for digital access. Here’s why.

Use the form below to reset your password. When you've submitted your account email, we will send an email with a reset code.