The Federal Communications Commission says that its order ending an era of "net neutrality" — the rules that restrict Internet service providers' ability to slow down or speed up users' access to specific websites and apps – will take effect on June 11.
The FCC named a date that is one day before the Senate's June 12 deadline to vote on a Congressional Review Act (CRA) resolution that was filed by Sen. Edward J. Markey, D-Mass. The resolution aims to overturn the FCC's repeal of the Obama administration's Open Internet Order of 2015, which officially established net neutrality.
Formally called a Resolution of Disapproval, the CRA has the support of every member of the Democratic caucus in the Senate, along with Sen. Susan Collins, R-Maine. It also has the support of Tim Berners-Lee, the father of the web, and a number of businesses, from Reddit and Tumblr to Wikimedia.
To force action on Markey's CRA, Senate Democrats filed a discharge petition on Wednesday, setting up a vote that Markey says should take place next week.
Democrats say they easily have the support of 30 senators that's needed to send the CRA to the Senate floor. In a vote, they would need a simple majority to adopt the resolution — and with Collins, they have 50 votes. Republicans might be able to muster only 49 votes, due to the absence of Sen. John McCain (who has not cast a vote since early December, due to health concerns).