The Time to Get the Net Neutrality Rules Back is Now

[Commentary] The best and fastest vehicle for bringing back the vital protections of net neutrality resides in both houses of Congress. It’s called a “Joint Resolution of Disapproval” which is allowed under a law called the Congressional Review Act (CRA). The CRA allows Congress to overturn an agency decision soon after it is adopted with a simple majority of members in attendance. This Congress used the CRA last April to repeal Federal Communications Commission rules that would have required ISPs to protect the privacy of their customers. Now the CRA is being used by net neutrality supporters to overturn the FCC’s December 14th order and reinstate the 2015 rules. Should the Joint Resolution pass the Senate, the House must pass it by the time Congress adjourns at the end of the year. The House Joint Resolution currently has 161 co-sponsors, with a total of 218 votes needed for passage. But once it passes the Senate, the pressure will mount for House members to co-sponsor the Joint Resolution.

[Gigi Sohn is a Georgetown Law Institute for Tech & Society Fellow, OSF Fellow, and Mozilla Fellow. She served as Counselor to former-FCC Chairman Tom Wheeler.]