House Republicans pushed back at Democrats' proposed net neutrality bill Tuesday, calling it "extreme" and overly partisan, and predicting it will be dead on arrival in the Senate, The Hill reported.
Rep. Bob Latta, R-Ohio, ranking member of the House Commerce technology subcommittee, called the legislation a "nonstarter," pointing out it opens up the broadband industry to regulations Republicans have long opposed, the news outlet reported.
"Instead of engaging with us to try to solve the problem, my colleagues have retrenched back to the most extreme position in this debate," Latta said, The Hill reported. "[The bill] has no chance of even passing the Senate or being signed into law."
The Save The Internet Act, introduced by Democrats last week, would restore Obama-era regulations on the broadband industry.
The bill would codify the Federal Communications Commission's 2015 Open Internet Order into law, reigniting a debate over whether the FCC should have the legal authority to enforce net neutrality rules.
Under the Democrats' bill, the broadband industry would be classified as a telecommunications service under Title II of the Communications Act — a designation that allows more stringent regulations of the industry by the FCC and which has been a sticking point for Republicans.
Republicans at the hearing repeatedly promoted a trio of bills recently introduced by Reps. Latta, Greg Walden, R-Ore., and Cathy McMorris-Rodgers, R-Wash., that would reimpose some net neutrality rules without using "Title II."
Meanwhile, lawmakers on both sides of the aisle expressed interest in net neutrality rules that would prevent internet service providers from blocking, slowing down or speeding up any content, The Hill reported — though both parties remain deeply divided over how to prevent that.
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