WASHINGTON — The U.S. House of Representatives today voted against Internet neutrality rules that were adopted last year to keep Internet providers from blocking certain traffic.
By a vote of 240-179, House Republicans pushed through a measure against the Federal Communications Commission rules that may affecting tech and telecom companies such as Verizon and Microsoft. They argued that FCC’s rules needlessly impose government regulation on the Internet, according to Reuters.
The FCC rules, approved in late December, banned Internet service providers from blocking traffic on their networks, while allowing providers such as Verizon, Comcast and AT&T to "reasonably" manage their networks and charge consumers based on usage.
"The FCC has never had the authority to regulate the Internet," representative Cliff Stearns said.
Democrats said the FCC rules are needed to curb the growing market power of large service providers.
Disapproving the FCC rules "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," representative Henry Waxman said.