FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
July 17, 2018
Contact: Mark Stanley, 202.681.7582, [email protected]
Demand Progress commends Representative Mike Coffman (R-CO) for being the first House Republican to sign a discharge petition that would force a vote on the Congressional Review Act (CRA) resolution to restore net neutrality. The CRA resolution will overturn the FCC’s disastrous repeal of net neutrality, which has proven to be one of the most unpopular policies from Washington in recent decades.
Recent polling has shown that 86% of voters, including 82% of Republicans, oppose the FCC’s net neutrality repeal — findings consistent with previous polls.
Coffman joins fellow Republican lawmakers Susan Collins, John Kennedy, and Lisa Murkowski in standing firmly with the American public by supporting the CRA resolution, which is Congress’s only viable means of restoring net neutrality this year.
Even if non-CRA net neutrality legislation were somehow to pass through committee and then the House—which is exceedingly unlikely this Congress—it would be considerably weakened in the process; further, it would require 60 votes to pass the Senate. The CRA resolution, which would fully restore the strong protections repealed by the FCC, has already passed the Senate with bipartisan support, in a 52-47 vote.
Demand Progress members have driven millions of comments, calls, and emails to the FCC and Congress, and attended hundreds of protests and rallies in support of net neutrality. As an organization that has been at the forefront of fighting for an open internet over the past decade, Demand Progress thanks Representative Coffman for his leadership and strongly urges lawmakers from both parties to join him immediately in signing the CRA discharge petition.
The following statement can be attributed to David Segal, Executive Director of Demand Progress:
“Representative Coffman’s constituents—including small business owners, students, veterans, and all who rely on an open internet—have spoken and demanded Congress overturn the FCC and restore net neutrality.
“Coffman has demonstrated both independence and political fortitude in refusing to cower in the face of the demands of the Big Telecom lobby, instead siding with those he was elected to serve. It’s the type of bold action the public craves from its lawmakers in Washington, and unfortunately one that is all too rare. Coffman has now placed himself at the forefront of his party on an issue of immense national importance — other lawmakers would do well to follow suit.
“Last month, the FCC’s repeal of net neutrality protections officially went into effect. In the wake of this repeal, it’s crucial that Congress act immediately to ensure that the gap in protections is minimized. The CRA resolution is the only viable way Congress can restore strong net neutrality protections this year.
“Any representative who wishes to be seen as a champion for net neutrality must sign the discharge petition to force a vote on the CRA resolution. If a member, whether Republican or Democrat, does anything short of signing the discharge petition, they will be viewed as an opponent of the free and open internet their constituents have come to rely on for speech, jobs, news, entertainment and so much more.”
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