Washington, D.C. – On Wednesday, Colorado U.S. Senator Michael Bennet filed a discharge petition to force a vote on a Congressional Review Act (CRA) resolution to restore enforceable net neutrality rules. Discharge petitions require signatures from 30 Senators to force a vote, and a simple majority is needed for passage. All 49 members of the Senate Democratic caucus support the resolution, along with Senator Susan Collins (R-ME). The Senate must vote by June 12th.
“The fundamental promise of the Internet—that it is free and open to everyone—has boosted economic development in rural Colorado and created a democratic exchange of ideas across our country,” Bennet said. “Coloradans know that net neutrality is essential to our communities, which is why they’ve contacted our office over 100,000 times and why Republican and Democratic County Commissioners have voiced their support. The upcoming Senate vote is our chance to preserve an open Internet, and we won’t stop working until we secure that final vote.”
Bennet has been an adamant defender of enforceable net neutrality rules. Since Federal Communications Commission (FCC) Chairman Ajit Pai announced he was rolling back the 2015 Open Internet Order last November, Coloradans have called Bennet’s office nearly 8,000 times and written nearly 100,000 letters in defense of net neutrality.
A VIDEO of Bennet’s remarks from the press conference are available HERE.
In December 2017, the FCC voted to repeal the 2015 Open Internet Order, which the D.C. Circuit Court had upheld in 2016. The Open Internet Order prohibited Internet service providers from blocking, slowing down, or discriminating against content online. Repealing the net neutrality rules could lead to higher prices for consumers, slower internet traffic, and even blocked websites. A recent poll showed that 86 percent of Americans do not approve of the FCC action to repeal net neutrality rules, including 82 percent of Republicans.