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Senate Votes To Save Net Neutrality (gizmodo.com)

Posted by msmash on from the take-that,-pai dept.

In a monumental decision that will resonate through election season, the U.S. Senate on Wednesday voted to reinstate the net neutrality protections the Federal Communications Commission decided to repeal late last year. From a report: For months, procedural red tape has delayed the full implementation of the FCC's decision to drop Title II protections that prevent internet service providers from blocking or throttling online content. Last week, FCC Chairman Ajit Pai confirmed that the repeal of the 2015 Open Internet Order would go into effect on June 11. But Democrats put forth a resolution to use its power under the Congressional Review Act (CRA) to review new regulations by federal agencies through an expedited legislative process. All 49 Democrats in the Senate supported the effort to undo the FCC's vote. Republicans, Sen. Susan Collins of Maine, John Kennedy of Louisiana and Lisa Murkowski of Alaska crossed party lines to support the measure. Further reading: ArsTechnica.

7 of 288 comments (clear)

  1. Gesture is great but toothless, at this point by garcia · · Score: 5, Informative

    From the article:

    Still, todayâ(TM)s vote means the proposal will have to go the House where Democrats will need to convince 25 Republicans to support net neutrality in order for the measure to passâ"and they have until January of next year to do it.

    So, as of right now, this is largely a gesture but still a good first step.

    1. Re:Gesture is great but toothless, at this point by Actually,+I+do+RTFA · · Score: 4, Informative

      This isn't a law, it's an Act of Congress (enabled by an existing law). The President has as much legal right to veto it as you or I do.

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    2. Re:Gesture is great but toothless, at this point by squiggleslash · · Score: 3, Informative

      It's worse than that, due to the Hastert rule the bill will never even be allowed a vote unless a majority of Republicans support it. So it's essentially dead in the water.

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    3. Re:Gesture is great but toothless, at this point by barc0001 · · Score: 5, Informative

      > There's no real provision in the constitution for an act of congress that can't be veto'd,

      Actually, there is:

      "Congress can override a veto by passing the act by a two-thirds vote in both the House and the Senate. (Usually an act is passed with a simple majority.)"

      https://www.archives.gov/files/legislative/resources/education/veto/background.pdf

  2. Re:"Saved" here means nothing, right? by Actually,+I+do+RTFA · · Score: 4, Informative

    And then it goes to the house and then the potato-in-chief

    Half true. It goes to the House. It's not a law, so no POTUS involvement.

    Importantly, because it's not a law, it can go to the House after the next election. Your vote matters.

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  3. Re:Not Save... Authorize... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 4, Informative

    The FCC was never authorized.

    Of course they were and the court agree.

  4. Three Senators, not two by jbmartin6 · · Score: 3, Informative

    Three Republican senators voted in favor: Sen. Susan Collins (R-Maine), Sen. John Kennedy (R-La.), and Sen. Lisa Murkowski (R-Alaska)

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