House OKs bill restoring net neutrality rules
But the net neutrality measure is likely to stall from here, given strong Republican opposition in the GOP-controlled Senate and the White House, where aides to President Donald Trump recommended that he veto the legislation if it ever reaches his desk.
The House’s proposal, which passed 232-190, would reinstate federal regulations that banned AT&T, Verizon and other broadband providers from blocking or slowing down access to websites.
Adopted in 2015 during the Obama administration, these net neutrality protections had the backing of tech giants and startups as well as consumer advocacy groups, which together argued that strong, federal open-internet protections were necessary to preserve competition and allow consumers unfettered access to movies, music and other content of their choice.
Months after Trump took office, though, the Federal Communications Commission repealed the Obama-era net neutrality rules. FCC Chairman Ajit Pai, with the support of the telecom industry, argued it had inhibited private-sector investment and exceeded the agency’s own authorities.
In its place, Pai and the GOP-led FCC only required Internet providers to be transparent about how they manage their networks.
Wednesday’s vote marked the latest swing of the pendulum in a lengthy battle in Washington over what sites and services consumers can access when they go online.