The Democrats in the House and Senate introduced legislation last week to reinstate net neutrality laws. The bill introduced is titled the “Save The Internet Act”. The goal of the bill is to stop internet providers from purposefully slowing down certain websites or popular streaming services and then charging users a fee to access them at higher internet speeds.
These laws were originally put into place by the Obama administration, but have since been rolled back since President Trump took office in 2016. These regulations were repealed in December 2017 after a vote was held by the FCC, leading to public outcry on this issue and how it will affect private citizens. The repeal was led by Republicans and the sitting FCC chair, Ajit Pai.
The legislation is expected to easily pass in the House now that is is controlled by the Democrats, but the bill will face challenges once it enters the Republican-controlled Senate, and could ultimately be vetoed altogether if it makes it to the desk of President Trump, who supported its original repeal.
Public opinion surrounding this matter seems to mostly favor the reinstating of net neutrality laws. Local governments across the country have taken steps to develop their own net neutrality bills to protect their constituents, specifically in Washington and California.
Hearings on the bill are set to begin next week. While Democrats are hopeful in these early stages due to the public support they are receiving, they do recognize the fight that lies ahead to make the proposed laws a reality. Only time will tell if the “Save The Internet Act” will be implemented, or if this will continue to be an ongoing battle.