Washington, D.C. – On Net Neutrality National Day of Action, Colorado U.S. Michael Bennet joined a group of Senate and House Democrats in introducing a Congressional Review Act (CRA) resolution to overturn the Federal Communications Commission’s (FCC) partisan decision on net neutrality. The Senate CRA resolution of disapproval stands at 50 supporters, including Republican Senator Susan Collins (R-ME). The House resolution currently has 150 co-sponsors.
“The fundamental promise of the Internet-that it is free and open to everyone-has enabled economic growth, entrepreneurship, and the free exchange of ideas essential to our democracy,” Bennet said. “Coloradans know that net neutrality makes that promise possible, which is why my office has received nearly 4,000 calls and 82,000 letters since FCC Chairman Pai announced he was rescinding net neutrality last November. We only need one more vote in the Senate to pass a resolution that keeps net neutrality in place, and I won’t stop working until we secure it.”
A video statement from Senator Bennet is available HERE.
The FCC’s Open Internet Order prohibited internet service providers from blocking, slowing down, or discriminating against content online. Repealing these net neutrality rules could lead to higher prices for consumers, slower internet traffic, and even blocked websites. A recent poll showed that 83 percent of Americans do not approve of the FCC’s action to repeal net neutrality rules.
Following the order last year, Bennet sent a letter to FCC Chairman Ajit Pai, urging him to abandon his plans to rescind net neutrality.
Last week, the FCC’s rule repealing net neutrality was published in the Federal Register, leaving 60 legislative days to seek a vote on the Senate floor on the CRA resolutions. In order to force a vote on the Senate resolution, the Senators will submit a discharge petition, which requires a minimum of 30 Senators’ signatures. Once the discharge petition is filed, Senate Democrats will demand a vote on the resolution. A simple majority of 51 votes is needed to pass a CRA resolution in the Senate.
A copy of the CRA resolution can be found HERE.