One More Vote Needed to Block FCC’s Net Neutrality Repeal

The U.S. Senate is one vote away from overturning the FCC’s unpopular repeal of net neutrality. To raise awareness, internet users, popular internet sites, and organizing groups are using today, February 27th, as a day of action. The #OneMoreVote movement is urging people to contact their Senators and tell them to vote to block the FCC changes. In North Dakota, Senator John Hoeven could be that one more vote.

The FCC rule change was published last week officially starting the clock. Congress has 60 legislative days to vote up or down on a Congressional Review Act (CRA) resolution. If it passes, the repeal of net neutrality is defeated and the internet as we know it is preserved.

Senator Heidi Heitkamp supports the resolution joining 49 other Senators. At this moment, Senator John Hoeven is not one of the 50 total Senators committed to blocking the FCC. Around the time of the FCC debate over net neutrality in December, Hoeven released a statement that seemingly tried to have it both ways. Here is part of his statement as reported in the Bismarck Tribune, “I support an open and accessible internet, which are the concepts of net neutrality, but the problem with classifying internet service providers under an outdated and overreaching framework is that it stifles investment and innovation,” he said, in an emailed statement. “The FCC’s proposed order will give Congress, the FTC and FCC the opportunity to work in a bipartisan, transparent fashion to update our communications policies to ensure the Internet remains open, continues to attract investment, promotes competition and drives innovation.”

When this FCC voted to repeal net neutrality, I talked about it on my radio show “Afternoons Live” on KFGO. I hadn’t seen such passion about a topic like I had that afternoon. Listeners were outraged and rightfully so. At the time, I said turn that anger into action. That hasn’t changed and the #OneMoreVote movement today is another way to act by contacting Senator John Hoeven’s office and telling him to support the CRA resolution.

Email Senator John Hoeven

Fargo Office
123 Broadway North, Ste 201
Fargo, ND 58102
Phone: (701) 239-5389

Bismarck Office
U.S. Federal Building
220 East Rosser Ave., Rm 312
Bismarck, ND 58501
Phone: (701) 250-4618

Grand Forks
Federal Building
102 North Fourth St., Rm 108
Grand Forks, ND 58203
Phone: (701) 746-8972

Minot
100 1st St. SW, Ste 107
Minot, ND 58701
Phone: (701) 838-1361

Washington D.C.
338 Russell Senate Office Building
Washington, DC 20510
Phone: (202) 224-2551