Editorial: It's up to Congress to save the internet

[Commentary] The Restoring Internet Freedom order was a triumph of ideology over sense, sacrificing the interests of internet users and innovators on the altar of deregulatory purity. Some leading broadband providers, recognizing that they got more from the FCC than they’d bargained for, pledged never to use their newfound freedom to interfere online. But that’s not enough. Ideally, Congress would do something it should have done a decade ago: update federal communications law to give the FCC a mandate and clear authority to protect net neutrality. In the meantime, though, Senate Democrats have gathered more than enough support to force a floor vote on a resolution to reject the new FCC order and bar any similar deregulation for 10 years. The prospects are dimmer in the House, where Republicans seem to rank deregulation in the pantheon with Mom and apple pie. Still, the fierce public backlash to the FCC’s order is powering a multi-front effort to repeal it, including lawsuits and proposals for state net neutrality laws in California and elsewhere. Although the FCC’s abdication invites states to wade in, no one should be eager for a patchwork of state neutrality rules. That’s all the more reason for Congress to step up. Lawmakers should reject the FCC’s latest rule and preserve the qualities that have made the internet what it is today.