Some GOP Sens Advise Wheeler to Delay Open Internet Vote

A trio of Republican senators, all members of the Commerce Committee that oversees the Federal Communications Commission, has suggested the FCC may want to delay its vote on a draft of new network neutrality rules, which at press time was scheduled for a May 15 vote.

In a letter to FCC Chairman Tom Wheeler, Sens Deb Fischer (R-NE), Kelly Ayotte (R-NH) and Dan Coats (R-IN) said they had "strong reservations" about proceeding to a vote at this time and pointed to recent calls by commissioners Deborah Rosenworcel, a Democrat, and Ajit Pai, a Republican, to delay the vote, and reports that the Republican members of the commission had been "kept in the dark” about the revised proposal circulated (actually, sources said the other Democrats only got a little more time from the chairman's office to vet the proposal).

The senators said they thought the FCC needed to give the proposal a "more thorough examination" before voting, including a "rigorous economic analysis."