Net neutrality bill sails through the House but faces an uncertain political future

Source: Washington Post



House lawmakers on Wednesday approved a Democrat-backed bill that would restore rules requiring AT&T, Verizon and other Internet providers to treat all Web traffic equally, marking an early step toward reversing one of the most significant deregulatory moves of the Trump era.

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 Trump this week recommended that he veto the legislation if it ever reaches his desk.

The House’s proposal would reinstate federal regulations that had banned AT&T, Verizon and other broadband providers from blocking or slowing down customers’ 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Months after Trump took office, though, the Federal Communications Commission repealed the Obama-era net neutrality rules.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 the ways they manage their networks, while shifting oversight to another federal agency.

Read more: https://www.washingtonpost.com/technology/2019/04/10/net-neutrality-bill-sails-through-house-faces-an-uncertain-political-future/?utm_term=.eece3a8ea18d