Senate Democrats on Wednesday voted to start debate on a measure to restore the “net neutrality” regulations that the Federal Communications Commission killed late last year, thanks to a parliamentary tactic that allowed them to seize control of the floor over the objection of Republican leaders.
The 52-47 vote allowed the debate to begin, and signals there are enough “yes” votes in the Senate to pass the resolution Wednesday afternoon. The resolution being debated was written under the Congressional Review Act, and if passed by the House and Senate, it would reverse the FCC’s decision to kill the Obama-era rule that requires the government to regulate the Internet like it does the telecommunications industry.
One Republican, Sen. Susan Collins, R-Maine, helped make the vote possible over the objections of the GOP majority. Collins signed on to a discharge petition with 49 Democrats, giving the effort the simple majority required to force a vote on the matter.
But she was also joined by Sens. John Kennedy, R-La., and Lisa Murkowski, R-Alaska., which let supporters get to 52 votes.
Republicans have effectively held a 50-49 majority in the Senate for the last several weeks, because Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz., is still battling cancer and has not been voting. That means a single Republican flip to the Democratic side on an issue is enough to give Democrats a bare majority.
Despite the dramatic move, however, the effort by Senate Democrats is expected to have little impact. It also has to be passed in the House, and House Republicans don’t plan to take up the resolution.
[Opinion: Democrats want to reinstate net neutrality, empowering Facebook and Google]
Democrats also have a limited time to act. If Congress does not clear it, the FCC move to undo net neutrality goes into effect on June 12.
Democrats championing the effort say restoring the Obama-era regulation ensures net neutrality by preventing the big Internet companies from using tactics that favor one group over another, such as throttling, or the slowing down of Internet service.
Republicans are largely opposed to the move by Democrats and they want to keep in place the FCC’s reversal of the net neutrality regulation, and say restoring the rule would constitute unneeded over-regulation that would hobble innovation.
