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House Republicans voted unanimously today to block controversial Net neutrality regulations from taking effect, a move that is likely to invite a confrontation with President Obama.
By a vote of 241 to 178, the House of Representatives adopted a one-page resolution that says, simply, the regulations adopted by the Federal Communications Commission on December 21 "shall have no force or effect."
"Congress did not authorize the FCC to regulate in this area," Rep. Rob Woodall (R-Ga.), said during this morning's floor debate. "We must reject any rules that it promulgates in this area... It is Congress' responsibility to delegate that authority."
Today's vote on the resolution, which fewer than 10 Democrats supported, comes a day after a federal appeals court said it was too early for Verizon and MetroPCS to sue the FCC to overturn the regulations. The ruling wasn't much of a setback: the lawsuit can be refiled after the agency has formally published the final text of the regulations, which it has not yet done.
Yesterday the White House issued a rare formal veto threat. "If the president is presented with a Resolution of Disapproval that would not safeguard the free and open Internet, his senior advisers would recommend that he veto the Resolution," a statement said. (Obama has not vetoed any legislation since the Republicans gained control of the House.)
A resolution of disapproval is a formal process, outlined in the Congressional Review Act, that permits Congress to overturn decisions of federal agencies. It requires both the House and the Senate to vote, and is subject to a presidential veto, but is not subject to a filibuster and only requires 51 votes to clear the Senate.
Rep. Jared Polis (D-Calif.) said during the House floor discussion that curbing the FCC's regulations will "imperil one of the greatest sources of job creation and innovation in America."
This is one of those technology topics that has become starkly partisan: During the 2008 campaign, Obama told CNET that "I will take a backseat to no one in my commitment to network neutrality." In February, House Speaker John Boehner (R-Ohio) announced that "our new majority in the House is committed to using every tool at our disposal to fight a government takeover of the Internet."
On December 23, the FCC released the text of its 194-page document (PDF) with the regulations and accompanying explanations of how broadband providers' business practices will be affected. It had approved them on a 3-2 party line vote two days earlier.
Last April, a federal appeals court unceremoniously slapped down the agency's earlier attempt to impose Net neutrality penalties on Comcast after the company temporarily throttled some BitTorrent transfers.
The Senate has not yet voted on the resolution of disapproval. A parallel version of the legislation in that chamber has 39 sponsors, close to the majority of supporters required.
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By a vote of 241 to 178, the House of Representatives adopted a one-page resolution that says, simply, the regulations adopted by the Federal Communications Commission on December 21 "shall have no force or effect."
"Congress did not authorize the FCC to regulate in this area," Rep. Rob Woodall (R-Ga.), said during this morning's floor debate. "We must reject any rules that it promulgates in this area... It is Congress' responsibility to delegate that authority."
Today's vote on the resolution, which fewer than 10 Democrats supported, comes a day after a federal appeals court said it was too early for Verizon and MetroPCS to sue the FCC to overturn the regulations. The ruling wasn't much of a setback: the lawsuit can be refiled after the agency has formally published the final text of the regulations, which it has not yet done.
Yesterday the White House issued a rare formal veto threat. "If the president is presented with a Resolution of Disapproval that would not safeguard the free and open Internet, his senior advisers would recommend that he veto the Resolution," a statement said. (Obama has not vetoed any legislation since the Republicans gained control of the House.)
A resolution of disapproval is a formal process, outlined in the Congressional Review Act, that permits Congress to overturn decisions of federal agencies. It requires both the House and the Senate to vote, and is subject to a presidential veto, but is not subject to a filibuster and only requires 51 votes to clear the Senate.
Rep. Jared Polis (D-Calif.) said during the House floor discussion that curbing the FCC's regulations will "imperil one of the greatest sources of job creation and innovation in America."
This is one of those technology topics that has become starkly partisan: During the 2008 campaign, Obama told CNET that "I will take a backseat to no one in my commitment to network neutrality." In February, House Speaker John Boehner (R-Ohio) announced that "our new majority in the House is committed to using every tool at our disposal to fight a government takeover of the Internet."
On December 23, the FCC released the text of its 194-page document (PDF) with the regulations and accompanying explanations of how broadband providers' business practices will be affected. It had approved them on a 3-2 party line vote two days earlier.
Last April, a federal appeals court unceremoniously slapped down the agency's earlier attempt to impose Net neutrality penalties on Comcast after the company temporarily throttled some BitTorrent transfers.
The Senate has not yet voted on the resolution of disapproval. A parallel version of the legislation in that chamber has 39 sponsors, close to the majority of supporters required.
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