House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) is pushing for a floor vote on a bill that would stop the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) from repealing net neutrality.
“December’s radical FCC vote to dismantle net neutrality has endangered the American entrepreneurship and freedom that are the envy of the world,” Pelosi said in a statement Thursday.
“Congress must act to reverse this destructive FCC ruling that steamrolled over a bipartisan, decades-long consensus and the will of the American people to undermine the fair playing field that is the heart of the internet.”
{mosads}Rep. Mike Doyle (D-Pa.), the ranking member on the subcommittee that oversees the FCC, announced this week that his bill to block the repeal has lined up 82 co-sponsors, including Pelosi. A companion bill in the Senate being pushed by Sen. Ed Markey (D-Mass.) needs just one more Republican backer to pass and already has enough support for Democrats to force a floor vote.
House Democrats can’t force a vote on their bill, but Pelosi’s endorsement is further evidence that Democrats see net neutrality as a winning political issue.
The FCC voted 3-2 along party lines last month to scrap the Obama-era rules that required internet service providers to treat all web traffic equally. Republicans argue that the rules were heavy-handed and unnecessary for preserving an open internet.
Democrats, and most Americans, see the rules as a vital check on the power of companies like AT&T and Verizon.
“Congress must respond to the will of the American people and restore these fundamental consumer protections,” Pelosi said.