With only one day left for Congress to save national net neutrality rules rolled back by the GOP-controlled Federal Communications Commission (FCC) last year, internet defenders have set their sights on the 36 signatures still needed to reverse the repeal.

"Time is running out for members of Congress to make decision... will they sign on to the CRA discharge petition and show that they're willing to put their constituents' basic rights ahead of their corporate donors?"

—Evan Greer, Fight for the Future

The vast majority of the American public supports federal net neutrality rules, which bar internet service providers (ISPs) from prioritizing or throttling access to certain online content. However, most Republicans and a handful of telecom-backed Democrats in the U.S. House are blocking a vote on a Senate-approved Congressional Review Act (CRA) resolution to restore the repealed Obama-era regulations.

"Pressure is reaching a boiling point as internet users continue sounding the alarm ahead of the deadline for members of Congress to show they support real net neutrality protections by signing on to the discharge petition for the CRA resolution to reverse the FCC's repeal," Fight for the Future said in a statement.

"Time is running out for members of Congress to make decision," declared the group's deputy director Evan Greer. "Do they want to go down in history as the corrupt politicians who rubber stamped the repeal of net neutrality? Or will they sign on to the CRA discharge petition and show that they're willing to put their constituents' basic rights ahead of their corporate donors?"

In 2019 telecom lobbyists will be peddling weak legislation that undermines #NetNeutrality while claiming to save it. That's why we need to get as many lawmakers as possible on the record in support of REAL #NetNeutrality before the end of the year.https://t.co/ePPtEHiwnj — Fight for the Future (@fightfortheftr) December 19, 2018

SCROLL TO CONTINUE WITH CONTENT Never Miss a Beat. Get our best delivered to your inbox.







According to campaigners' latest tally, these are the 16 Democrats who haven't yet signed the discharge petition for the CRA: Reps. Brandon Boyle (Pa.), Robert Brady (Pa.), G.K. Butterfield (N.C.), Matt Cartwright (Pa.), Jim Costa (Calif.), Henry Cueller (Texas), Dwight Evans (Pa.), Vicente Gonzalez (Texas), Josh Gottheimer (N.J.), Gene Green (Texas), Tom O'Halleran (Ariz.), Brad Schneider (Ill.), David Scott (Ga.), Kyrsten Sinema (Ariz.), Filemon Vela (Texas), and Pete Visclosky (Ind.).

To pass, the CRA needs every Democrat and at least 20 Republicans to sign on before the Friday deadline. Net neutrality advocates are maintaining a public scoreboard to track how every member of Congress has responded to the CRA here. Advocacy groups also have created a tool to help concerned constituents contact their representatives.