Net neutrality vote: FCC repeals Obama-era Internet rules

“On advice of security, we need to take a brief recess,”

The Federal Communications Commission voted Thursday to repeal Obama-era net neutrality rules, a move that Republicans say would preserve a “free and open” Internet but has triggered protests from consumer groups, Internet companies and Democratic lawmakers.

The repeal passed on a 3-2, party-line vote.

“It is time for the Internet, once again, to be driven by engineers and entrepreneurs and consumers rather than lawyers, accountants and bureaucrats,” FCC Chairman Ajit Pai said in remarks before the vote.

Pai, a Republican, announced plans in November to eliminate the rules, calling for a “light-touch regulatory approach” to the Internet. A longtime opponent of the regulations, Pai had signaled plans to undo the rules since taking over as chairman of the FCC this year.

In a moment indicative of the heated atmosphere surrounding the proposal, the FCC hearing room in Washington was briefly cleared Thursday just before commisioners were set to vote on repealing the rules.

Pai was delivering a prepared statement on the vote when he was handed a note and stopped mid-sentence.

“On advice of security, we need to take a brief recess,” Pai said.

After the room was cleared, law enforcement officers with dogs were seen surveying the room. A few minutes later, commissioners and others were let back in, and the meeting resumed.

The net neutrality regulations imposed utility-style regulation on Internet service providers such as Comcast, AT&T and Verizon to prevent them from favoring their own digital services over their rivals – for instance, by blocking or slowing certain content.

Pai argues the net neutrality rules adopted during the Obama administration discourage the Internet service providers from making investments in their network to provide better and faster online access.

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