White House threatens to veto Democrat-led net neutrality bill

If the Democrats’ net neutrality bill were to pass through Congress, it’s likely that President Donald Trump would veto it, according to a new statement from the White House today.

It’s not surprising that Trump is expected to veto the Democrat-led net neutrality initiative, but Monday’s statement is one of the first direct comments from the White House on the legislation that is expected to easily pass through the House of Representatives on Tuesday.

The Save the Internet Act, if approved, would restore the original net neutrality regulations that were put in place by the Obama-era Federal Communications Commission in 2015. The bill would essentially repeal the repeal of the rules that the Pai FCC approved in the first year of the Trump administration. That means that if the Democrats get their way, rules prohibiting blocking, throttling, and paid prioritization of internet access would be codified into law, making it more difficult for changing FCC leadership to flip-flop the rules.

“Last year, the FCC returned to the light-touch regulatory scheme that enabled the internet to develop and thrive for nearly two decades by promoting the internet freedom and encouraging network investment,” the White House’s statement read.

The Save the Internet Act is expected to easily make its way out of the Democrat-controlled House, but the legislation faces an uphill battle in the Republican-controlled Senate. For many Republican senators, net neutrality simply isn’t a priority for the majority this congressional session, particularly for Sen. Roger Wicker (R-MS) who chairs the powerful Commerce Committee.

If the bill “were presented to the President,” the White House statement said, “his advisors would recommend that he veto it.”