Report: Democrats are one vote shy of overturning FCC's decision on net neutrality
Senate Democrats said Monday that they are one vote shy of having enough support to reverse the Federal Communications Commission's recent decision regarding net neutrality, The Washington Post reports.
"With full caucus support," said Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., who's helping lead the effort, "it's clear that Democrats are committed to fighting to keep the Internet from becoming the Wild West where ISPs are free to offer premium service to only the wealthiest customers while average consumers are left with far inferior options."
Democrats have a resolution that has the support of all 49 members of the Senate Democratic Conference as well as Sen. Susan Collins, R-Maine, the report said. The measure would overturn the FCC's decision and ban the agency from passing similar measures on net neutrality going forward. They need one more vote to clear the 51-vote threshold to approve the resolution.
In December, Sen. Ed Markey, D-Massachusetts, introduced the bill to disapprove the FCC's rollback of net neutrality. Because the measure attracted at least 30 cosponsors, he's able to force the Senate to vote on the bill under the Congressional Review Act. But it seems unlikely that Democrats will be able to reverse the FCC's decision because both the Republican-controlled House and the Senate would have to approve the resolution, and the president would have to sign it. However, the Senate vote would put senators on the record in an election year.
In December, the FCC voted to overturn "net neutrality," which were regulations to ensure that internet service providers treated all websites and online content equally. Democrats have an additional member now that Sen. Doug Jones, R-Alabama, has been sworn into the upper chamber.