FCC net neutrality rules live on, after close Senate vote

November 10, 2011 By Andrew Couts

The Federal Communications Commission's net neutrality rules have survived a Republican effort to overturn the regulations, which take affect later this month.

In a party-line vote of 52-46, Senate Democrats successfully blocked a Republican-led effort to overturn the Federal Communications Commission’s net neutrality regulations, which are set to go into effect later this month.

The attempt to block the implementation of the FCC’s net neutrality rules was pushed forward by Sen. Kay Bailey Hutchison (R-TX), who, along with her fellow Republicans, argues that greater federal regulations will stifle business growth and innovation online.

“Over the past 20 years, the Internet has grown and flourished without burdensome regulations from Washington,” said Sen. Hutchinson in a statement. “If we’re going to keep an open and free Internet and keep the jobs it spawns, we should reject the FCC regulation on net neutrality.”

Democrats, and other supporters of net neutrality principles, argue that exactly the opposite is true: that net neutrality regulations will help keep the Internet as open as it currently is, meaning anyone can start a website without worrying the telecommunication companies will be able to give preference to websites they own, or ones owned by partner companies.

“Net neutrality is not about a government takeover of the Internet, and it is not about changing anything,” said Sen. Al Franken (D-MN). “Net neutrality and the rules the FCC passed are about keeping the Internet the way it is today and the way it has always been.”

While most Internet companies support the net neutrality rules, telecommunication giants oppose them. And some, in the case of Verizon, have gone so far as to sue to have the rules overturned.

Some public and Internet advocacy groups who support the FCC’s net neutrality rules say that they do not go far enough, especially the regulations governing the wireless web, which give telecoms wide flexibility in how they regulate these connections. The FCC has said that it will update the mobile web rules if they are found to be inadequate.

[Pictured: FCC chairman Julius Genachowski]

Showing 5 comments

Jessica Trau at 12:12am 11th November 2011 Unfortunately I bet the FCC has some of the same problems as FDA, too many people within their ranks are foxes watching a hen house.
Damon Schmitt at 12:05am 11th November 2011 Yes, it's brilliant spin, you know, "we need to stop the FCC from regulating the internet with these regulations that say we won't directly regulate the internet .... if we put in an anti-regulation that allows us to regulate the internet, then it can be freely unregulated, in that it won't be!".1 point on the board for the reasonable.
Aerobat at 3:06pm 10th November 2011 We dodged another bullet. The "Regulation" in fact attempts to prevent service providers from becoming "Gate Keepers" and eventually "Toll Both Operators" on a global network that was supposed to be open and free. Of course it's not very free "Globally" or otherwise but big business and utilities have proven time and again that they will find a way to make money on every loophole they can find. This partially closes some loopholes.It could have been better but it beats letting big business have it's way with the Internet.
Jeremy Whitman at 10:28pm 10th November 2011 Awesome ...we won.
Billy Bones at 10:02pm 10th November 2011 YES! Victory dance!