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Senate vote on reversal of net neutrality rules scheduled for Thursday, White House promises veto

Senate vote on reversal of net neutrality rules scheduled for Thursday, White House promises veto

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Obama

The FCC passed an extremely watered down set of net neutrality regulations back on September 23rd, but even those have erupted into controversy: the Senate is scheduled to vote against the FCC's Open Internet rules on Thursday, and the White House has vowed to veto the resolution if it reaches Obama's desk.

The rules are set to go into effect November 20th and would prohibit certain kinds of content blocking and traffic discrimination for wired internet service — wireless service was controversially left out — and allow the FCC to impose fines and bring injunctions against companies that violate the regulations. The House passed a similar resolution in April, so the repeal will go into effect if the senate vote passes; Reuters says bill sponsor Kay Bailey Hutchinson has 42 votes in the bag but the final tally is expected to be tight.

For its part, the White House says reversal of the Open Internet rules would undermine innovation and economic growth, and that the regulations were created as part of a process that convened parties on all side of the issue. "Federal policy has consistently promoted an Internet that is open and facilitates innovation and investment, protects consumer choice, and enables free speech," says the memo issued today by the president's senior advisors.

Meanwhile, supporters of the net neutrality rules are now suing the government to overturn them because they don't impose effective regulations on wireless broadband. You really can't please anybody in Washington.