Advertisement
Tech

Internet mocks Ajit Pai after Senate net neutrality victory

The FCC commissioner is getting a very special tribute.

Photo of David Covucci

David Covucci

Photo of Andrew Wyrich

Andrew Wyrich

ajit pai

Today, the Senate—using the Congressional Review Act (CRA)—voted to overturn the Federal Communications Commission (FCC)’s decision to repeal the Obama-era net neutrality rules.

Featured Video

Net neutrality is a founding principle of the internet, which states that all internet traffic should be treated equal. The 2015 Open Internet Order codified those regulations, but a Republican-led FCC did away with the rules back in December.

This afternoon, by a 52-47 margin, the Senate voted to rescind the FCC’s order.

While the CRA faces an uphill fight in the House, senators praised the action as the first major step forward for net neutrality.

Advertisement

Advertisement

Advertisement

Advertisement

Advertisement

In a statement, Sen. Bill Nelson (D-Fl.) said today’s vote reflected the will of the American public.

“The American public understands how important these protections are to their lives and the future of the internet,” Nelson said. “They do not want to have their websites blocked or internet accessed slowed.  And, they certainly don’t want their internet providers making those decisions.”

Advertisement

Sen. Brian Schatz (D-Hawaii), in advance of the vote, tweeted that the Senate was hearing overwhelming feedback in favor of the CRA.

Advertisement

A number of net neutrality activists organized a “Red Alert” protest in the lead-up to the vote, with major websites directing their users to contact their congresspeople.

Sarah Morris, director of open internet policy at New America’s Open Technology Institute, who helped organize the protest, said the American people were heard today.

“In the months since the FCC voted to repeal the net neutrality rules, the American people have raised their voices to tell their representatives in Congress to save those online protections, and have sent over 16 million emails and over 1 million calls to Congress,” Morris said. “As this measure heads to the House, it would be prudent for members to take note of this sustained outcry and vote to preserve net neutrality.”

Representatives already began lobbying for the effort in the House, which is currently lacking the necessary votes to pass.

Advertisement

And, of course, people took a moment to pay tribute to the man whose efforts kicked off the fight, FCC Commissioner Ajit Pai.

Advertisement

https://twitter.com/moemudzi/status/996839491561246720

Advertisement

https://twitter.com/ManInTheHoody/status/996813804569677825

Advertisement

The House has until the end of their session in January to vote on the CRA. If passed, the CRA would still need to be signed by President Donald Trump.

Advertisement
 
The Daily Dot