The Republican-controlled FCC voted along party lines on Thursday to repeal net neutrality, but open internet defenders are urging the public to not be swayed by the proliferation of “net neutrality is officially dead” headlines — the fight is “not over,” they say.
Just hours after the FCC’s vote, the coalition of activist groups behind Team Internet and BattlefortheNet.com announced the launch of “a massive internet-wide campaign” calling on members of Congress to overturn the FCC’s move by passing a Resolution of Disapproval under the Congressional Review Act (CRA), which only requires a simple majority in the House and Senate.
Here are the facts:
1) Congress can stop the FCC and overrule their vote using the Congressional Review Act
2) It only takes a simple majority in the Senate and House
3) 83% of voters support #NetNeutrality regardless of political party
We can do this. https://t.co/xSJHbLq2Wn pic.twitter.com/WCg0mntDM1
— Fight for the Future (@fightfortheftr) December 14, 2017
The CRA gives Congress the power to review newly passed regulations and overturn them through a joint resolution.
“Think of it as a double negative,” explained Free Press’s Dana Floberg. “If we repeal Pai’s repeal, we could end up right back where we started — with strong Net Neutrality rules.
Fight for the Future (FFTF), one of the groups that helped launch the campaign to nullify Pai’s plan, said in a statement on Thursday that “lawmakers cannot hide from their constituents on this issue.”
“The backlash to the FCC’s attack on the Internet has reached a boiling point,” FFTF observed. “Now every member of Congress will have to go on the record and decide whether to stand up for the free and open internet or face the political consequences of awakening its wrath in an election year.”
As Common Dreams has reported, the American public overwhelmingly supports net neutrality. FFTF argues that now, more than ever, Americans must place pressure on their representatives to do the same.
“The internet has given ordinary people more power than ever before,” FFTF concluded. “We’re going to fight tooth and nail to make sure no one takes that power away.”
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