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It was a fairly sleepy congressional hearing, the last in a two-week marathon of appearances by Federal Communications Commission Chairman Tom Wheeler before lawmakers to defend his agency's net neutrality rules. But then Louie Gohmert chimed in.

Gohmert (R-Tex.), an outspoken critic of the agency's rules that prevent Internet providers from blocking Web sites or speeding some of them up over others, exploded during a House Judiciary Committee hearing Wednesday. His voice rising to a shout, Gohmert threw a stream of accusations at Wheeler, complaining that the FCC had cut off Internet providers' ability to find new ways of making money.

"Before the FCC came in, everybody could explore new business models," Gohmert said. "You're playing God with the Internet … That's not your job.

"Congress wasn't asking you to take over the Internet," he added, referring to the FCC's congressional charter.

Wheeler didn't respond directly to Gohmert. But  during the hearing, he defended the FCC's new net neutrality rules. He also noted that some Republicans agree that there is a need to put some limits on Internet providers, pointing to a bill backed by Reps. Greg Walden (R-Ore.) and Fred Upton (R-Mich.), as well as Sen. John Thune (R-S.D.).

"Mr. Walden and Mr. Upton and Sen. Thune have [proposed] legislation to ban blocking, ban throttling, and ban paid prioritization — the things we ban" in the net neutrality rules, said Wheeler. "So I think there's suggestion that people other than us" believe there is a problem.

Last month, the FCC passed strict new rules for Internet providers, voting to regulate them using the same legal tools it uses to police legacy phone service. Those rules have now been challenged by two lawsuits — one from a trade group representing Internet providers, and another from a small, Texas-based broadband company.