Senates Votes To Overturn FCC's Net Neutrality Repeal

WASHINGTON, D.C. — The United States Senate voted Wednesday to kill the Federal Communication Commission's repeal of net neutrality. All 49 Senate Democrats — and three Republicans — voted for the measure.

Along with all 49 Democrats, GOP Senators Lisa Murkowski of Alaska, Susan Collins of Maine and John Kennedy of Louisiana voted to overturn the repeal. The measure would have to pass the House and then be signed by President Donald Trump for the rules to be restored. The measure has far fewer chances of passing in the House and Trump is unlikely to support it.

The repeal of net neutrality rules will officially go into effect June 11.

The Senate used the Congressional Review Act to reverse the net neutrality repeal. The CRA requires a simple majority vote to pass.

The FCC voted 3-2 in December to repeal net neutrality. Proponents of net neutrality argue that getting rid of the rules would open the door for internet service providers to take advantage of consumers, slowing down speeds for certain websites while favoring others. Meanwhile, FCC Chairman Ajit Pai has said that repealing the rules would end the federal government's micromanaging of the internet.

Other than the vote in the Senate, several governors have signed executive orders to preserve net neutrality in their states. Montana Gov. Steve Bullock, a Democrat, was the first to sign such an order and it stipulated that any ISP with a state contract must adhere to net neutrality principles. Bullock encouraged other governors to do the same and said his administration would provide the framework they could follow.

Several lawsuits have also been filed in an effort to preserve net neutrality.

Photo: May 9, Sen. Ed Markey (D-MA) speaks during a news conference on a petition to force a vote on net neutrality on Capitol Hill in Washington, DC. Also pictured are Sen. Maria Cantwell (D-WA), Sen. Tina Smith (D-MN), and Sen. Richard Blumenthal (D-CT). Photo by Zach Gibson/Getty Images News/Getty Images