The White House Office of Management and Budget said Monday that it “strongly opposes” efforts by the House of Representatives to invalidate net neutrality rules, and threatened to veto any bill that would do so.
“If the President is presented with a Resolution of Disapproval that would not safeguard the free and open Internet, his senior advisers would recommend that he veto the Resolution,” the OMB said in a statement.
In March, the House Communications and Technology Subcommittee approved a resolution that says that “Congress disapproves the rule submitted by the Federal Communications Commission relating to the matter of preserving the open Internet and broadband industry practices.” The Subcommittee, passed the resolution by a vote of 15-8, and House Republicans are now pushing for a full vote.
The FCC voted in December for the “Open Internet Order”, which would seek to prevent internet service providers from using their control of broadband networks to favor certain web content platforms while blocking access to others.
The White House said the House resolution “would undermine a fundamental part of the nation’s internet and innovation strategy – an enforceable and effective policy for keeping the Internet free and open.”
Republicans (and the Tea Party) have long opposed the FCC’s efforts, arguing that the FCC is overstepping its authority by looking to expand its control over regulating phone and cable companies.
The threat of a veto represents another hiccup this week for net neutrality opponents. On Monday, the D.C. Court of Appeals dismissed two challenges to the FCC rule by Verizon and MetroPCS — though its reasoning was that the companies could not challenge the order until it is published in the Federal Register.
