Today, the House passed the No Rate Regulation of Broadband Internet Access Act, an attack on net neutrality. Specifically, the bill would prohibit the FCC from regulating the rates that Internet Service Providers (ISPs) may charge for broadband internet service.
Here’s a bit of background on the bill:
When the FCC passed Net Neutrality regulations last year, they assured the public that they would not use new authorities to set rates for internet access. H.R. 2666 was intended to codify that language, meaning it would prevent the Commission from using Title II of that Act to engage in rate regulation. Both Democrats and Republicans supported the initial intention behind the legislation, but Committee Democrats argued that H.R. 2666 was too broadly written. In its current form, the bill would severely limit the FCC’s ability to protect consumers and could potentially restrict and remove traditional functions of the Commission. The FCC’s ability to act in the public interest, address unfair or discriminatory practices, enforce net neutrality rules, and conduct merger reviews would all be put in jeopardy if H.R. 2666 were enacted.
Democrats on the Energy and Commerce Committee offered many amendments during the mark-up of H.R. 2666 in order to limit the bill to rate setting and to clarify the exclusion of many vital areas in which the FCC should be allowed to regulate, but all of those amendments were rejected on party line votes. With the exclusion of those amendments, H.R. 2666 was reported out of committee without a single Democratic vote.
Obama has already expressed his intention to veto the bill if it comes to his desk.
The final vote on the bill was 241 to 173.
5 House Democrats joined Republicans in voting for it:
Jim Costa (CA-16)
Scott Peters (CA-52)
Collin Peterson (MN-07)
Kyrsten Sinema (AZ-09)
Albio Sires (NJ-08)
Two amendments received roll call votes.
The first was offered by Ben Lujan (NM-03), Frank Pallone (NJ-06), John Yarmuth (KY-03), and Yvette Clarke (NY-09) to clarify that nothing in the bill would prevent the FCC from requiring that TV broadcast stations, AM or FM radio broadcast stations, cable operators, direct broadcast satellite service providers, or satellite digital audio radio service providers to upload the public inspection file in a format that is machine-readable, thereby enhancing transparency, to the extent such station, operator, or provider is required to make material in its public inspection file available on, or upload such material to, an Internet website.
It failed 179 to 231.
Four Republicans joined Democrats in supporting it:
Jason Chaffetz (UT-03)
Blake Farenthold (TX-27)
Chris Gison (NY-19)
Darrell Issa (CA-49)
The second was offered by Jerry McNerney (CA-09) to state that nothing in the bill shall affect the authority of the Commission to act in the public interest, convenience, and necessity.
This one failed 173 to 231.
One Republican—Chris Gibson—voted for it. Two Democrats—Costa and Sires—voted against it.