Democrats Score A Victory For Net Neutrality As Senate Votes To Reverse Trump FCC Repeal

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Senate Democrats used a procedural maneuver and managed to get just enough support from a few Republican colleagues to overturn the repeal of net neutrality that was put into place by Trump’s FCC chairman.

All the Democrats voted for the resolution, Sen. John Kennedy (R-LA) Sen., Sen. Lisa Murkowski (R-AK), and Susan Collins (R-ME) joined the Democrats in passing the legislation that will now go to the House.

Before the vote Senate Democratic Leader Sen. Chuck Schumer (D-NY) said:

I suspect our colleagues are kind of quiet on this issue because the arguments made by opponents of net neutrality aren’t very convincing. Some opponents say net neutrality is an unwarranted and burdensome regulation, something that hampers the internet. I’d remind those critics that net neutrality has been on the books for several years and the internet is working just fine! Furthermore, the net neutrality rules were upheld by the courts as appropriate consumer protection. Yet, you’ll hear some of my Republican friends say that we shouldn’t restore net neutrality via this CRA because we need bipartisan legislation to deal with the issue. That argument is a duck. It’s a dodge. It’s a way for my Republican friends to delay.

Democrats are happy to do bipartisan legislation to enshrine net neutrality into law, but the legislation is going to take time. In the meantime, we must ensure consumers have a safety net, right now, and this CRA is the quickest and surest way of doing it. Plain and simple: if you’re for net neutrality, you ought to be for Senator Markey’s CRA. Madame President, this issue presents a stark contrast: are you on the side of the large internet and cable companies, or are you on the side of the average American family? That’s what the vote on this legislation is all about. And I say to every American who cares about an open and free internet: today is the day. Contact your Republican Senator. See who votes for net neutrality and who votes against. And let them know how you feel about the way they voted. This is our chance – our best chance – to make sure the internet stays accessible and affordable for all Americans.

As Schumer predicted, Sen. John Thune (R-SD) complained that he wanted a legislative solution and that the open and free internet under net neutrality is actually government regulation.

Republicans really didn’t want to discuss net neutrality, because their arguments stink. They don’t want the American people to know that their open and free internet is being turned over to the big Internet Service Providers.

The House is also close to forcing a vote on net neutrality.

America has taken a big step closer to protecting the open and free internet.

For more discussion about this story join our Rachel Maddow and MSNBC group.

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Jason Easley

Jason is the managing editor. He is also a White House Press Pool and a Congressional correspondent for PoliticusUSA. Jason has a Bachelor’s Degree in Political Science. His graduate work focused on public policy, with a specialization in social reform movements.

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Member of the Society of Professional Journalists and The American Political Science Association

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