Oklahoma U.S. Sen. James Lankford stepped up his opposition to what he labeled “burdensome” net neutrality regulations this week. But it wasn’t enough as the Senate voted 52-47 to restore net neutrality rules that the FCC had removed in December 2017.
Democrats didn’t like the FCC move against regulations created in the Obama administration.
Sen. Lankford attempted to convince his colleagues in a Senate floor speech that things were fine before the FCC in the old administration attempted a takeover.
“For 20 years, the internet functioned under a very clear set of rules,” declared Lankford. “The Federal Trade Commission had a set of rules for both content provider and for the fiber, the internet service providers. A clear set of rules. they couldn’t violate anti-trade practices.”
The Senator thinks it’s a power grab by the FCC.
“That’s the fight that we’re in right now. It’s the funniest thing to me to be in a conversation about net neutrality because the implication is the internet will not be free if the government doesn’t regulate it with this particular entity, the FCC.”
The Senate vote was on a resolution under the Congressional Review Act, which allows the review of new regulations by federal agencies. Only a simple majority was needed to pass the legislation.
Senators Susan Collins, John Kennedy and Lisa Murkowski broke from the Republican ranks and supported approval of the resolution. Oklahoma U.S. Sen. Jim Inhofe supported Sen. Lankford.
