President Obama's advisers would recommend a veto of net neutrality repeal. | AP Photo W.H. vows to protect net neutrality

The Obama administration on Monday threatened to veto a Republican effort to overturn the FCC's new net neutrality rules, just as House GOPers moved one step closer to bringing that repeal to a full-chamber vote.

A Statement of Administration Policy issued late Monday emphasized that the White House “strongly opposes House passage” of the resolution of disapproval, which would roll back rules the FCC enacted in December that require Internet providers to treat all traffic equally.


The administration described any Republican attempt to undo the FCC’s work as one that would “undermine a fundamental part of the Nation’s Internet and innovation strategy — an enforceable and effective policy for keeping the Internet free and open.”

“If the President is presented with a Resolution of Disapproval that would not safeguard the free and open Internet, his senior advisers would recommend that he veto the Resolution,” the statement said.

Obama’s veto threat isn’t exactly surprising, given the extent to which the so-called “Tech President” touched on net neutrality along the 2008 campaign trail.

The statement issued Monday is sure to fire up net neutrality supporters — many of whom supported his first bid for the presidency and urged the White House to take a more vocal role in the net neutrality debate.

But even the specter of a veto leading up to Monday had not deterred Republicans from bringing their resolution of disapproval to a floor vote. Late Monday, the House Rules Committee weighed the terms under which it would bring the measure to the floor this week.

Telecom subcommittee Chairman Greg Walden (R-Ore.) fiercely defended the resolution during the hearing, arguing the FCC’s rules represent a regulatory overreach by the FCC in area where it lacks authority.

He depicted a vote against his bill as tantamount to a vote for the FCC to move forward with regulation of the Internet as a common carrier, a designation that would subject providers to tough rules that already apply to phone companies. The FCC still has a proceeding open that could accomplish as much.

But Rep. Anna Eshoo of California, the top Dem on the telecom panel, called the legislation “hogwash” — saying it’s unlikely to go anywhere after the House votes on it. In particular, Eshoo took issue with Republicans for allegedly attacking government agencies’ ability to enact basic consumer protections.

“The majority doesn’t have a case” on this bill, she added.

Rep. Jared Polis (D-Colo.) also defended the FCC’s work, citing Wall Street investment reports that suggest the commission’s rules have “eliminated any threat of regulatory overhang.”

Walden, though, later appeared flustered by the Democratic criticism — at one point saying that he “understands that the President is good friends with the chairman.”

For its part, the White House said the FCC’s process was highly collaborative, weighing input from consumer groups to top technology companies over the course of many months.

“Notably, the Federal Communications Commission’s rule reflected a constructive effort to build a consensus around what safeguards and protections were reasonable and necessary to ensure that the Internet continues to attract investment and to spur innovation,” the statement said.

An identical resolution is pending action in the Senate, though industry leaders expect chamber Democrats to scuttle the GOP effort long before it can reach the president’s desk.



This article first appeared on POLITICO Pro at 6:34 p.m. on April 4, 2011.