WASHINGTON — Republicans are waging a last-minute campaign to gather support for net neutrality legislation that critics say will undermine the principles of a free and open Internet.
A draft proposal, circulated last week by Republican lawmakers in the House and the Senate, appears to to take a firm stance in support of net neutrality. It claims to impose regulations on consumer broadband Internet that net neutrality supporters have long advocated for, but critics say the bill is written in a way that will fail to uphold equal Internet access.
The legislation is an effort to head off a Federal Communications Commission vote next month about regulations on consumer broadband.
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In a statement, Sen. Dean Heller (R-Nev.) said he believed the legislation remains “fair to everyone.” But he acknowledged, “Some of my colleagues across the aisle are still unhappy.”
Yet the legislation’s backers will have to win over not only Democrats, but also skeptical Republicans like Sen. Rand Paul (R-Ky.), who has said he doesn’t want any regulation of the Internet whatsoever.
