U.S. PIRG Statement Supporting Wednesday’s Senate Vote To Reinstate Net Neutrality

U.S. PIRG

The Senate has voted in favor of every Internet-using American. By a vote of 52-47, senators approved Sen. Ed Markey’s (MA) Resolution to repeal the Federal Communications Commission’s February 2018 action that rescinded the 2015 Open Internet Order. Republican Sens. Susan Collins (ME), Lisa Murkowski (AK) and John Kennedy (LA) crossed party lines to vote in favor of using the Congressional Review Act to scrap the FCC’s order, and reinstate net neutrality. The bill now moves on to the House of Representatives.

Ed Mierzwinski, Senior Director, Consumer Programs for U.S. PIRG, released the following statement:

“We applaud the Senate for its vote to reinstate net neutrality and keep the Internet acting as a marketplace for all ideas. Without net neutrality, the Internet, which belongs to everyone and every idea, would be under the control of powerful telephone and cable company gatekeepers. They could throttle or even block some content to let their favored content speed along. This would harm consumers and citizens, small businesses, innovators and even our culture of freedom and democracy. U.S. PIRG supports the Congressional Resolution of Disapproval of the reckless FCC action, and urges the House to follow the Senate’s lead, because that would help reinstate the net neutrality promised by the 2015 Open Internet Order.”