While the issues of net neutrality may seem to be a bipartisan issue, there was a strong point of division between the Republican Party and advocates for it. Republican congressmen and women submitted an alternate bill in January that would protect net neutrality, but eliminate the possibility of using Title II to regulate and take power away from the FCC and give it to Congress.
However, after months of advocating an alternative to Title II, top Republican leaders announced that they would recede and allow the FCC and Chairman Tom Wheeler to pursue net neutrality without their interference. The New York Times reported that these leaders "now say they are unlikely to pass a legislative response that would undo perhaps the biggest policy shift since the Internet became a reality."
According to the party leaders, this was in part because of Democrats asking to wait for the FCC vote before even considering such legislation. Sen John Thune (R-SD) told the Times "we're not going to get a signed bill that doesn't have Democrats' support.....This is an issue that needs to have bipartisan support".
Net neutrality also had an enormous grassroots movement behind it. Tumblr's director of social impact and public policy told the Times that "we don't have the financial resources to throw around.....What we do have is access to an incredibly engaged, incredibly passionate user base and we can give folks the tools to respond."
According to Bloomberg Business, the FCC received over four million emails from net neutrality supporters
While this announcement does make things easier for the FCC, the regulations will still be tied up in a court-based battle with cable companies and Internet service providers. There's also the potential of an FCC commission overturning it in the future. But at the least, the 114th meeting of the U.S. Congress won't be involved in the net neutrality debate.
