Net Neutrality Dies On June 11th, FCC Says

It seems nothing is going to stop the Federal Communications Commission from killing Net Neutrality. Despite all of the protests, the public backlash, and the political pressure on both the local and federal level, FCC Chair Ajit Pai is determined to destroy a free internet. To show just how little concern the commission has for due process, the June 11th target date is just one day off from a potential legislative action that could essentially render it powerless to enact its intended goal.

"The Internet wasn't broken in 2015, when the prior FCC buckled to political pressure and imposed heavy-handed Title II rules on the Internet economy," a statement by Pai reads. "Now, on June 11, these unnecessary and harmful Internet regulations will be repealed and the bipartisan, light-touch approach that served the online world well for nearly 20 years will be restored."

June 12th is the deadline for a vote to push for the Congressional Review Act (CRA) that would essentially overturn the FCC’s repeal of Net Neutrality, NPR reports. This resolution has the support of all Senate Democrats and by Republican Senator Susan Collins. All it would then need is for a simple majority vote so that it can be passed to Congress.

If it gets approved there, however, it would still need to be signed by President Trump. The problem is that even after all of this, it could all be for nothing. Every time the administration is asked about it, all the press ever gets is a noncommittal answer.

On the side supporting Net Neutrality are progressive groups and politicians, as well as internet companies such as Google. Even the father of the internet, Tim Berners-Lee has cast his vote in support of Net Neutrality. Those on the side of repealing Net Neutrality are naturally the internet service providers and those who worked for them, which includes Pai.

As CNET notes, this fight has become highly politicized and if people aren’t careful, it could end up being like gun control that devolves into pointless rhetoric without any real solutions. Proponents of Net Neutrality are not giving up yet, but if the FCC repeal comes to pass, there’s not much anyone can do as long as the commission is controlled by a Conservative majority.