DEMS/FCC/NET NEUTRALITY/POLITICS: “Congressional Democrats today introduced a long-promised resolution aimed at undoing the Federal Communications Commission’s repeal of the net neutrality rules.
Spearheaded by Sen. Ed Markey (D-Mass.), the measure would reverse the FCC’s December decision to repeal the Obama-era regulations. It would do so via the Congressional Review Act, which allows Congress to nix agency rules, within 60 days of their publication in the Federal Register, by a simple majority vote… The measure is currently one vote short of the 51 needed to ensure passage in the Senate. Sen. Susan Collins (R-Maine) has signed onto the resolution, joining the Senate’s 47 Democrats and two independents. In the House, it has 150 Democratic sponsors, with no Republican support.
Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer says he will force a vote in the coming months, which he’s able to do because the Congressional Review Act only requires 30 sponsors to bring a resolution to the floor.
But the measure, even if it passes the Senate, faces an uphill battle in the Republican-controlled House, and President Donald Trump is unlikely to sign it…
The congressional tussle is the latest wrinkle in the decadelong fight over net neutrality, the notion that internet providers should treat all web traffic equally as it passes through their networks. The FCC has tried repeatedly to enact such rules, only to be brought down by court challenges. Republican FCC Chairman Ajit Pai, tapped by Trump to head the agency, led the charge to take down the latest version of the rules in December.”
-John Hendel and Ashley Gold, “Democrats introduce resolution to reverse FCC net neutrality repeal,” Politico, Feb. 27, 2018 11:38am