Senate Votes to Reverse Net Neutrality Rollback

UPDATE 4 P.M. ET: By a vote of 52 to 47, the Senate approved the measure, which now moves to the House, where it faces an uncertain future. Three Republicans voted in favor of the resolution: Susan Collins of Maine, John Kennedy of Louisiana, and Lisa Murkowski of Alaska.

Original Story:
The Senate today will vote on whether to roll back the FCC's repeal of Obama-era net neutrality rules.

Lawmakers will use the Congressional Review Act (CRA), which allows Congress to review agency decisions within a certain time frame. The CRA requires a majority vote; currently all 49 members of the Senate Democratic caucus are voting in favor, as is Republican Susan Collins. With Sen. John McCain at home in Arizona getting treatment for brain cancer, Reuters notes, the measure will likely pass.

"The internet should be kept free and open like our highways, accessible and affordable to every American, regardless of ability to pay" Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer said in a statement. "The repeal of net neutrality is not only a blow to the average consumer, but it is a blow to public schools, rural Americans, communities of color and small businesses. A vote against this resolution will be a vote to protect large corporations and special interests, leaving the American public to pay the price."

The vote is currently scheduled for noon ET today.

The vote, however, might be largely symbolic. It's unclear if there are enough votes for this to pass in the House. According to House Majority Leader Kevin McCarthy, the House is prepping a separate net neutrality bill "to permanently address this issue," the Washington Post reports.

President Trump, meanwhile, has voiced support for repealing the net neutrality rules, so he's unlikely to sign anything that might hit his desk.

The FCC's net neutrality reversal is scheduled to go into effect June 11. Initially it was set for April 23, but bureaucratic red tape pushed it to June.

In December, a divided commission voted 3 to 2 to get rid of rules that allowed the FCC to step in if an ISP was accused of shady practices on the web, like paid prioritization and discriminating against specific internet applications.

Recommended by Our Editors

Net Neutrality, Cambridge Analytica Scandal Fuel VPN Use

The rules, FCC Chairman Ajit Pai said at the time, solved a problem that did not exist. "The internet wasn't broken in 2015," he said. "The internet…is perhaps the only thing in American society that we can all agree has been a stunning success."

Democrats on the commission disagreed. "What's next? Blocking or throttling? That will never happen? After today's vote, exactly who is the cop on the beat that can or will stop them?" asked now-outgoing Commissioner Mignon Clyburn.

Her Democratic colleague, Commissioner Jessica Rosenworcel, meanwhile, has encouraged net neutrality supporters to "keep up the pressure." See more in our interview with her from MWC below.

FCC Commissioner Jessica Rosenworcel Talks Net Neutrality, 5G