Democrats in both houses of Congress have introduced new legislation to protect net neutrality, at least for the time being.

Rep. Henry Waxman and Rep. Anna Eshoo, both of California, proposed what they're calling the "Open Internet Preservation Act of 2014," a bill to restore Federal Communication Commission (FCC) open Internet standards struck down in an appeals court decision in January. (The bill's full text is embedded below.)

If enacted, the bill would essentially keep net neutrality rules as they are until the FCC has a chance to act on the recent court decision. Sen. Edward Markey (D-Mass.) introduced the same bill (.pdf) in the Senate on Monday.

"The Internet is an engine of economic growth because it has always been an open platform for competition and innovation," Waxman said in a statement.

The bill is a direct response to a Jan. 14 decision in which a D.C. Court of Appeals ruled in favor of Verizon over the FCC, saying that Verizon and other Internet service providers (ISPs) do not need to treat all traffic equally. The decision means ISPs can, for example, favor certain websites, delivering their data to customers at faster speeds. ISPs could also charge sites like Netflix for faster data-transfer rates or block and discriminate against certain websites.

Proponents of net neutrality argue that doing away with open Internet rules would cripple innovation by making it harder for smaller companies to get their ideas in front of online audiences. Both President Barack Obama and FCC Chairman Tom Wheeler, an Obama appointee, have expressed support for net neutrality. Though many consider the D.C. court's decision a crippling blow to the issue, Obama and Wheeler appear to have found a silver lining.

"The one good piece of news coming out of this court opinion was the court did confirm that the FCC can regulate this space," Obama said during a Google+ Hangout on Friday. "[The FCC] said already that they're going to be exploring to continue to uphold what makes the Internet so special."

The "space" Obama is referring to is telecommunications. Part of the court's decision said the FCC would have to reverse two decisions it made in 2002 and 2005, in which it classified cable companies and Internet providers as "information services" rather than telecommunications services. If the FCC complies and reclassifies broadband providers as telecommunications services, it would then have the power to reinstitute net neutrality rules.

The FCC is still evaluating the court opinion and plans to use "a variety of tools [the agency] may have in order to vindicate the notion of a free and open Internet," Obama said. Aside from exercising its rule-making authority, the FCC could appeal the court's decision.

The bill introduced by the Democratic members of Congress Monday would delay enforcement of the D.C. court decision until after the FCC has had a chance to act.

"Our bill makes clear that consumers and innovators will be protected in the interim," Waxman said.

Advocates for net neutrality expressed support for the bill.

"We’re pleased that members of Congress are pushing the FCC to restore the no-blocking and nondiscrimination provisions that were at the heart of the FCC’s Net Neutrality rules," Chancellar Williams, associate policy director for Free Press Action Fund, said in an emailed statement.

Open Internet Preservation Act of 2014