This is the GOP’s new tactic to stop net neutrality

The Federal Communications Commission's new network neutrality rules officially go into effect June 12, but Republican Representatives are making a last-minute legislative push to keep them from taking effect. Their efforts to do so just cleared an important hurdle in the House: the draft appropriations bill containing the measure that prevents the FCC from enforcing its Internet provider regulations was approved by the House Financial Services Subcommittee. The legislation would freeze the net neutrality rules until the Internet providers that have sued to overturn them receive an answer from the court.

Rep. José Serrano (D-NY) said that the FCC budget cut was penny wise and pound foolish and would force the FCC to either spend more now to stay in its more expensive headquarters, spend more later to move, or cut some core essential services. He also called the net neutrality rule rider among the most "excessive" riders, and one that would make the bill unpassable from the Democratic view. He said the rider was fundamentally flawed from a policy and procedural standpoint and would block the FCC's important step of insuring Internet content is treated the same way for everyone, in service of "a few large corporations." He said the bill will encourage plaintiffs to delay resolution of the cases.