A Bill Passed from U.S House of Representatives to Restore Net Neutrality

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The U.S House of Representatives has passed a bill. It would restore net neutrality rules the Federal Communications Commission repealed in 2017. The House approved the bill by 232-190 with a significant amount of Republican voting in favor. A number of Democrats backed the Save the Internet Act when Rep. Mike Doyle introduced it during the last month. The bill seeks to block providers from throttling, blocking or prioritizing internet content and enshrine the former protections into law. It will restore the FCC’s governance over providers under Title II of the Communications Act, which Democrats say would ensure the rules are enforced.

Democrats have control over the House and passed the bill with a handsome margin, but they face a tougher task in pushing the legislation through the Senate. The Republicans hold sway the party lines drawn in the House vote underscore the difficult job ahead for the bill’s proponents. Moreover, advisers to the U.S President Donald Trump are urging him to veto the legislation if it does eke through the Senate.

The FCC chairman Ajit Pai is certain the bill won’t become law. He described it in a statement as a big-government solution in search of a problem. The last year survey by the Program for Public Consultation at the University of Maryland mentioned that more than 86% of Americans (including 82% of Republicans) still opposed the FCC’s net neutrality repeal. It could prove an important and major issue in the 2020 election.