Over the past year, Net Neutrality has gone through a wild ride of ups and downs. Now, the U.S. Senate is forcing a vote to restore the protections. Lawmakers are using the Congressional Review Act to make the vote happen and it looks like the Senate is just one vote short of bringing net neutrality back to life.
Ajit Pai, the current head of the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) and also a vocal critic of net neutrality prior to his heading the FCC, began to enact policies to undo the protections of his predecessor, Tom Wheeler, which kept net neutrality in place.
Pai succeeded and overturning the FCC’s Open Internet Order in December 2017, effectively ending net neutrality protection in the United States. His reasoning was that Internet Service Providers can make a better experience for users without regulations and that government involvement stifles innovation.
Net Neutrality is the principle that Information should be able to pass at equal speeds through the Internet’s server computers. Without the protection afforded by net neutrality, Internet Service Providers can throttle content from competitors, charge extra to allow content to pass through to customers, and block content as they see fit.
At present, the Senate is using the Congressional Review Act to force a vote that would reinstate net neutrality provisions. The vote could arrive as early as next week and the CRA gives Congress 60 days on the legislative calendar after a regulation is introduced to revert it to its prior state.
The Senate and House of Representatives need a simple majority vote to to pass the roll back on to the White House for the President’s signature. Right now the Senate has 50 supporting votes and is optimistic that needed 51st vote will come soon. The House seems supportive, too, so there’s a reasonable chance net neutrality could get a second chance at life.
Assuming the CRA vote goes in favor of retaining net neutrality, Ajit Pai and the FCC will have to comply and continue to enforce the Open Internet Order, or the protocol under which the Internet currently operates.
Stay tuned for additional details as they become available.
Via The Mac Observer