Senate Votes to Save Net Neutrality, but Fate Seems Sealed
*By Alisha Haridasani*
In a last-ditch effort to preserve unfettered access to online content, the Senate voted Wednesday to override the Federal Communications Commission’s decision to scrap net neutrality rules.
All of the Democrats and three Republican Senators voted in favor of the resolution, which was proposed by Senator Ed Markey, Democrat of Massachusetts.
"Republicans will rue the day they voted against middle class families, they will rue the day when they voted against the young people who are so familiar with the internet and you can be sure that we Democrats will remind the people of this vote over and over again," said Senator Chuck Schumer, the Senate minority leader, who has his eye on the midterm elections in November.
The resolution heads to the House, where it faces stronger opposition. Only 161 Representatives have publicly indicated that they would vote in favor of the resolution, 57 short of a majority.
There is still a chance that lawmakers who want to preserve net neutrality could convince more of their colleagues to join them because the issue resonates widely with voters, said Andrew Wyrich, a politics staff writer at The Daily Dot. A number of [polls](http://thehill.com/policy/technology/364528-poll-83-percent-of-voters-support-keeping-fccs-net-neutrality-rules) show strong support ー among Democrats and Republicans ー for maintaining net neutrality.
"A lot of people didn't think that it would happen in the Senate so I think anything can happen," said Wyrich.
Net neutrality rules were put in place by the Obama administration in 2015, ensuring that internet service providers give equal access to all content online, regardless of who produces it or where it comes from. The F.C.C. decided in December to abandon the rules, and they officially expired last month.
Supporters of net neutrality, including the tech companies Amazon, Google, Netflix, and Facebook, have said that stripping away these rules would give internet service providers the power to charge some websites or services more for speedier access. The chairman of the F.C.C., Ajit Pai, who has been a vocal critic of net neutrality, has said the rules hurt the companies that build the internet's infrastructure, and stifle innovation and limit investment.
“It’s going to hurt the little guy,” said Representative Jim Langevin, a Democrat from Rhode Island. Net neutrality allows “small entrepreneurs to have the same amount of access that big companies do,” he said.
Though a majority of Americans support net neutrality, Pai, the F.C.C. chairman, has said the rules were "heavy-handed."
For the full interview, [click here](https://cheddar.com/videos/senate-votes-to-keep-net-neutrality-rules).
The European Union is historically divided and slow when it comes to decision-making, but in the recent weeks, the 27 members have agreed upon several sanctions and decisions regarding foreign policy and defense. The EU has cut off Russian banks from the swift payment system, blocked Russian propaganda channels, and closed European skies for air travel to and from Russia. Germany, for example, who has refused to send any deadly weapons to conflict zones, has now agreed to send lethal weapons to Ukraine. Rupert Steiner, London Bureau Chief at Barron's, joins cheddar news to discuss.
Sam Stovall, Chief Investment Strategist at CFRA Research, joins Cheddar News' Closing Bell where he dives into the factors contributing to Monday's market plunge and what could be in store when February's CPI data comes out on Tuesday.
Derek Shearer, former U.S. Ambassador to Finland and contributing writer for Washington Monthly, joins Cheddar News to discuss the latest developments in the Russia-Ukraine conflict.
Americans continue to feel the pain at the pump as a result of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. Patrick DeHaan, head of petroleum analysis at GasBuddy, joined Cheddar News to discuss how prices are being affected by the war and how much worse it could potentially get for drivers. "It's obviously a fluid situation. In one field today, I might feel differently in a half hour. But for now, I think we could see the national average realistically go somewhere into the mid $4 range, maybe $4.40 to $4.65 based on what we're seeing," he said.
Russia’s invasion of Ukraine has entered its 12th day following what Ukrainian authorities described as increased shelling of encircled cities and another failed attempt to evacuate civilians from the port city of Mariupol.
Gasoline prices are pushing even farther above $4 a gallon, the highest price that American motorists have faced since July 2008, as calls grow to ban imports of Russian oil.
Jay Hatfield, Chief Investment Officer at ICAP, believes a lot of the bad news regarding the fighting in Ukraine and Fed is already priced into the market and looming uncertainty factored into Friday's movement. However, he also believes the upcoming Fed decision will be good news for Wall Street.
News of Russian forces taking control of a Ukrainian after artillery bombardment of a nuclear power plant raised concerns this week. Nuclear policy expert and Quincy Institute Distinguished Fellow Joe Cirincione joined Cheddar News to discuss the implications for a potential disaster. “I’m with the director general of the IAEA, the International Atomic Energy Agency. He says that he is extremely concerned, and that this Russian attack is a severe risk and that Russia clearly violated the fundamental principle of preserving the integrity of nuclear power plants," Cirincione said.
