“Vote out” congresspeople who won’t back net neutrality, advocates say

“If they don’t vote for net neutrality, let’s vote them out,” new campaign says.

Some supporters of net neutrality are focusing their attention on Congress and vowing to vote out lawmakers who won't join a legislative effort to reinstate net neutrality rules.

"If they don't vote for net neutrality, let's vote them out," says the website launched yesterday by advocacy group Fight for the Future, which also organized recent protests.

The website lists which senators have and haven't supported a plan to use the Congressional Review Act (CRA) to stop the repeal of net neutrality rules. The rules, repealed by the Federal Communications Commission last month, prohibit Internet service providers from blocking or throttling Internet content or prioritizing content in exchange for payment.

Sen. Ed Markey (D-Mass.) announced the CRA resolution shortly after the FCC vote, and 29 senators including Markey have pledged to support it. All of the 29 are members of the Democratic caucus.

The bill just needs majority support in the Senate, which could happen if all Democrats sign on and get some Republican support.

"House and Senate leaders cannot block a CRA with majority support from coming to the floor," the "Vote for Net Neutrality" website explains. "Net neutrality is not a partisan issue, but many Republicans in Congress have been on the wrong side of it recently. That's changing. In the Senate, we may only need one more Republican to vote for the CRA to get it passed, given that Susan Collins (R-Maine) opposed the FCC plan and signaled openness to a CRA."

Messages to lawmakers

Fight for the Future urges net neutrality supporters to send tweets to lawmakers that say, "I will not be voting for anyone who doesn't vote for the CRA to save #NetNeutrality." The group is also gathering phone numbers from people who want text message updates about their representatives' voting records on net neutrality before this year's congressional elections.

US Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) has pledged to force a vote on reinstating net neutrality rules.

The House of Representatives has a bigger Republican majority, so about 20 Republicans would have to join Democrats for the CRA to be successful.

"That's harder, but several Republican representatives have already criticized the FCC's vote, and given that more than 75 percent of Republican voters support net neutrality, it's doable," Fight for the Future said.

The activists also want to stop Congress from passing legislation that only nominally protects net neutrality. Rep. Marsha Blackburn (R-Tenn.) is pushing an "Open Internet Preservation Act" that would ban blocking and throttling but allow ISPs to create paid fast lanes and prohibit state governments from enacting their own net neutrality laws. Blackburn's bill would also prohibit the FCC from imposing any type of common carrier regulations on broadband providers.

"Lobbyists are foaming at the mouth at the chance to ram through bad legislation that permanently undermines net neutrality," Fight for the Future co-founder Tiffiniy Cheng said in an announcement yesterday.