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The Battle for Net Neutrality Enters the U.S. House of Representatives

Net neutrality ended on June 11. Though that’s the case, the fight for restoring net neutrality continues in Congress, with the Senate recently voting to restore it in May.

Our team provides a net neutrality update from our original post in January, for marketers or professionals who want to stay up-to-date, but haven’t had time to consume the content written around it.

Read on to learn:

• A brief definition of Net Neutrality and the implications it poses for both businesses and individuals
• 2 Major Net Neutrality updates since our post in January
• What’s next for advocates wanting to restore net neutrality

What Is Net Neutrality Again? Should I Vote to Restore or Repeal?

Federal Communications Commission introduced the “Restoring Internet Freedom” order, which overturned Obama-era net neutrality rules introduced in 2015. The FCC’s current iteration of net neutrality legislation would allow the following:

1. Internet Service Providers (ISP’s) like Comcast, Spectrum, Verizon, etc. could create “fast lanes” of internet traffic, where user’s pay a premium price for faster speeds
2. ISP’s could throttle, or slow down site and download speeds for users with “unlimited” packages
3.  ISP’s could impose paid prioritization – where it favors its own in-house, branded content over competition – affecting loading times, downloads, and access

To provide clarity, Burger King created a video for anyone confused with how net neutrality’s repeal could impact their daily lives – except with Whoppers® replacing fast lanes.

While You were Searching: 2 Major Net Neutrality Updates

1.) The Senate reinstated net neutrality on May 16th – Much to the chagrin of Ajit Pai and everyone who favors comically large Reese’s coffee mugs, with a 52-47 majority, the Senate voted to restore net neutrality – for now, at least. While the life of net neutrality has been temporarily extended, there’s a long road ahead for fans of a truly open and free internet for all. Here’s what has to happen in order for net neutrality to be restored.

• The Congressional Review Act, (CRA) has to be used to gather 218 politicians’ signatures within the U.S. House of Representatives to force a vote to restore net neutrality.
• If net neutrality makes it through Congress, President Trump will have to sign the measure for it to take effect.

2.) States are taking Net Neutrality restoration into their own hands – Oregon and Washington have already taken the charge and passed statewide legislation rebuking net neutrality’s repeal. California isn’t far behind in its comprehensive measure to restore net neutrality. According to The Verge, with California’s combined size and influence with the tech industry, it could set the “gold standard” for how other states will follow similar legislative efforts.

What’s Next? How to Restore Net Neutrality

Between net neutrality updates and the recent AT&T and Time Warner merger, many people are speculating about what the future of the internet holds.

While our team isn’t in possession of a crystal ball, we will provide context where we can. Feel free and contact us. We’ll do our best to answer your questions and provide feedback where possible.