Democrats bet on net neutrality voters in 2018

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Democratic lawmakers say they can make political hay of the battle over network neutrality among a small — but committed — group of midterm voters. The linchpin of that strategy is a vote in the Senate May 16 on a measure to undo the Federal Communications Commission’s 2017 repeal of net neutrality rules. That raises the prominence of the effort to preserve the neutrality rules — and will put at least some Republicans on record as opposing it.

The net neutrality voters care a lot about the issue, even if they make up only a small portion of the population. “Here’s the thing: I’m not suggesting that this is going to move the majority of voters,” said Sens Brian Schatz (D-HI). “What I’m telling you is that for millions of motivated and infrequent voters, this is a top issue.” “For the people who are well-versed on this issue, it really matters,” said Sen Claire McCaskill (D-MO), who is in a competitive race this fall. “I’m not sure how many Missourians are as tuned in to net neutrality. Especially once you get over the age of about 35 or 40, I'm not sure people are as aware about what the problems are.”


Democrats bet on net neutrality voters in 2018