Democrats in Congress will unveil net neutrality legislation this week, according to a new report.
House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) told colleagues in a letter that they will work with their Democratic colleagues in the Senate as they introduce the “Save The Internet Act” on Wednesday, Reuters reports. The news outlet notes that there has not been any text for the legislation released.
The news of net neutrality legislation hitting Congress comes after several hints from Sen. Edward Markey (D-Mass.) over the past several weeks.
Two weeks ago, Markey told WGBH said he was working with Democrats to put net neutrality on the “political hot seat.” Similarly, ahead of oral arguments being heard in federal court surrounding the Federal Communications Commission’s (FCC) repeal, the lawmaker said a net neutrality bill would be introduced “soon.” Meanwhile, Republicans have also talked about their own net neutrality bills.
Markey’s office confirmed to the Daily Dot that the “Save The Internet Act” is the same bill he’s hinted at for several weeks.
If a bill were to be introduced, there is a possibility it could receive bipartisan support. While the devil is always in the details, last year lawmakers tried to use the Congressional Review Act (CRA) to overturn the FCC’s repeal.
In the Senate, which—like now—is controlled by Republicans, the CRA passed with several Republicans breaking ranks with their colleagues to vote for it. The House version of the CRA did not amass the needed number of votes to pass.
If the Senate introduced a bill and still got Republicans to vote in favor of it, it’s likely the House would also pass the bill, now that Democrats control it. President Donald Trump would ultimately still need to sign the bill into law.
You can read all of the Reuters report here.
This article has been updated.
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