The fight for net neutrality in the United States continues and U.S. senators have recently gathered enough support to force a vote to overturn the new rules.
The Federal Communications Commission (FCC), led by Chairman Ajit Pai, proposed a law last month that is supposed to end net neutrality rules. The proporition passed, and the laws that promote a "free" and "open" internet are under threat.
With the FCC's new proposition, internet service providers (ISPs) have free rein on what and how to charge consumers for the sites they visit and the services they avail.
For example, an ISP could charge extra when their users visit a competitor's website. They can also "throttle" or slow down internet speeds whenever a consumer tries to avail a competitor's service.
A lot of parties were against repealing net neutrality rules, but the FCC's new proposition passed.
The vote to overturn the FCC's current decision was spearheaded by Senator Ed Markay. He first announced his intention to start a vote of resolution last December, but only recently did he get the support of 30 senators that was required.
Senator Claire McCaskill of Missouri was one of the last people to support Markay's efforts. She said in a tweet that she was the 30th person to support the net neutrality vote, further mentioning that 30 is the "magic number" needed for the voting to start.
If the vote to overturn FCC's proposition becomes a success, it will lead to a debate and a final vote. However, that is not the end of it. If the resolution is approved, then it will be passed to the House of Congress. After that, it goes through one final check on the desk of U.S. President Donald Trump himself.
The U.S.net neutrality rules, which promote a free and open internet, were first enacted as law in 2015 during the Obama administration.
