The house voted on Friday against two amendments removing anti-Net Neutrality from an important government funding proposal. One amendment was by Rep. Jose Serrano, the other Rep. Nita Lowey.
Rep. Jose Serrano said, “Maybe every so often we can be on the side of the American people and not corporations.” However, the House majority does not appear to be in agreement when it comes to Net Neutrality.
The 158-page bill has anti-Net Neutrailty built in, and would take money from the FCC, which it needs to keep up internet protections. These would also stop regulations from being in effect until after the courts have made a decisions, which would stretch on for years.
A federal court has rejected attempts by cable, phone, and wireless lobbies to delay the rules, and Serrano said, “You’re not supposed to legislate in an appropriations bill.”
Despite the widespread demand for open internet in the U.S. and both political parties, some members of Congress are pushing to eliminate FCC protections for which millions called, mostly due to large campaign contributions by telecom providers.
“Blocking Net Neutrality means blocking the open Internet. My colleagues are trying to give corporations more freedom … while putting more restrictions on individual citizens,” said Serrano.
Members of Congress are involved with major internet service providers and are not heeding the public. Instead, they are pressing to stop open internet and open fast and slow lanes to specific websites, despite the FCC’s appropriate actions to call on the public.
More than 60 groups for social rights and justice urged the chairman of the House appropriations to eliminate anti-Net Neutrality language. Only Rep. Lowey paid attention.
The Free Press Action Fund, the American Civil Liberties Union, the Center for Media Justice, ColorOfChange.org, the Electronic Frontier Foundation, the National Hispanic Media Coalition, the New America Foundation’s Open Technology Institute, and Writers Guild of America West are just a few of the groups who signed petitions.
People are calling for citizens to contact their Congress before the vote on funding, and tell them to get rid of the anti-Net Neutrality language completely.
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