Today, Democrats officially launched their efforts to save net neutrality once and for all. Lawmakers in both the House and Senate have announced bills with the intention of reinstating the net neutrality rules that the Federal Communications Commission moved to repeal back in 2017.
The dual bills share the title of the Save the Internet Act. The full text is three pages, and, according to lawmakers, it will put in place the same rules that the FCC worked to remove over a year ago. The bill would not only codify key pillars of net neutrality, like no blocking or throttling, but it would also consider internet access a “utility” under Title II of the Communications Act, which is the hottest point of contention between Republicans and Democrats.
House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) said that the House will take up the bill in “a matter of weeks.”
Many net neutrality advocates are already applauding the move. “These protections – both the 2015 net neutrality rules and the FCC’s authority to protect consumers, promote competition and ensure affordable access in the broadband market, are supported by overwhelming numbers of Americans across the political spectrum,” Gigi Sohn, distinguished fellow at Georgetown and former FCC counselor, said in a statement. “I applaud the bicameral group of lawmakers who introduced this bill for acting to return the Internet to where it belongs – in the hands of Internet users, not broadband providers.”
More at The Verge.