Maine Sens. Angus King and Susan Collins said Tuesday they’ll support new legislation to overturn the Federal Communications Commission’s vote last month to scuttle Obama-era net neutrality standards.
Sen. Edward Markey, D-Massachusetts, announced this week that he has enough support to force a Senate vote to invalidate the FCC’s controversial Dec. 14 decision to deregulate internet service providers. King and Collins, who opposed abolishing net neutrality, both said Tuesday that they support it.
“The FCC’s recent action to repeal net neutrality threatens to undermine its positive impact by stifling innovation and putting access and connection speeds for sale to the highest bidder,” said King in a prepared statement. “It is crucial we defend net neutrality and I will work to ensure that this misguided repeal is never implemented.”
Collins said through a spokeswoman, Annie Clark, that she also would support Markey’s legislation.
“She believes that a careful, deliberative process involving experts and the public is warranted to ensure that consumers have strong protections that guarantee consumer choice, free markets and continued growth.”
Markey’s bill is proposed under the Congressional Review Act, which allows the Senate to overrule the FCC. It is not yet clear when a vote might take place, though it could be weeks or months, according to the Washington Post. Even if it’s successful in the Senate, it would still need to survive the House and then Republican President Donald Trump, who supported the FCC’s vote.
This story appears through a media sharing agreement with Bangor Daily News.