The House on Friday voted to overturn the Federal Communications Commission's net neutrality rules, but the measure is largely a symbolic gesture. It's unlikely to get through the Senate, and President Obama has pledged to veto the bill if it ever makes it to his desk.
The House passed H.J. Res. 37 with a vote of 240 to 179. It was largely split on party lines, with only six Democrats voting in favor of the resolution.
"Why in the world are we putting the government in charge of the Internet?" argued Rep. Fred Upton, chairman of the House Energy and Commerce Committee.
Democrats, unsurprisingly, had a different take.
"This is a bad bill, made worse by a terrible process," said Rep. Waxman, ranking member of the committee. "If enacted, this bill would give big phone and cable companies control over what websites Americans can visit, what applications they can run, and what devices they can use. Consumer advocates, civil rights organizations, high-tech companies, religious groups, and labor unions all say H.J. Res. 37 should be rejected. The Committee heard from more than 150 stakeholders urging Congress to keep the Internet open and defeat this bill."
The vote came after an hour-long debate on Tuesday during which Republicans argued that the Internet has flourished without government regulation and should be allowed to continue that way, and Democrats pointed to incidents of questionable ISP behavior as evidence that FCC rules are necessary to maintain the status quo.
The debate basically boiled down to whether you should fear the government or fear your ISP.
"We should not trade the freedom of the Internet for a toll road provided by and for ISPs," said Rep. Jared Polis, a Colorado Democrat.
"We need to protect the Internet from government regulation," countered Rep. Rob Woodall, a Georgia Republican.
In the wake of the FCC's rules, Verizon Wireless and MetroPCS sued the FCC over their authority to regulate. A judge threw out their cases this week on the grounds that they filed too early. MetroPCS had no comment, but Verizon has vowed to refile when it is allowed, so expect the net neutrality drama to continue.
For more, see What Do the FCC's Net Neutrality Rules Mean for You?