President Obama to veto bill over Net neutrality

Net neutrality bill is a threat to 'Internet economy and the democratic spirit' says White House

President Obama's Office of Management and Budget is threatening to veto on Thursday the Senate's S.J. Res. 6 proposal, also known as a "resolution of disapproval." In the White House's opinion, the resolution undermines the Open Internet Order.   

The Open Internet Order, which is pro Net neutrality, was passed last year to prevent broadband providers from blocking access to specific websites and applications. The White House believes that some regulations over Internet access  are necessary to stop giant Internet service providers, such as Time Warner Cable, AT&T and Comcast, from blocking content.

"An important element of this leadership is that the open Internet enables entrepreneurs to create new services without fear of undue discrimination by network providers," the White House says, via its statement.

The resolution of disapproval has been presented by Senator Hutchison, R-Texas, and 42 co-sponsors.

Senator Kay Bailey Hutchison said on Tuesday that the regulation "will hurt business and the economy and increases healthcare costs. The Internet and technology has produced more jobs in this country than any other sector. And is the craddle of innovation."

U.S. Senate Republican Leader Mitch McConnell, said today "“While we all understand the importance of an open Internet, I think we can also agree that the growth of the Internet in the last 15 years is an American success story that occurred absent any heavy-handed regulation by the federal regulators in Washington."

The White House's concerns about ISPs blocking access to websites is serious. In 2007, Comcast was caught blocking people seeking to share files using the popular BitTorrent platform.  Furthermore, Verizon Wireless rejected NARAL Pro-Choice America’s request to send text messages over its network, claiming them to be “unsavory” and “controversial.” Verizon's attorneys still assert the company’s right to block text messages at will.

The Nation’s Open Internet and innovative strategy intends to enable "entrepreneurs to create new services without fear of undue discrimination by network providers. Federal policy has consistently promoted an Internet that is open and facilitates innovation and investment, protects consumer choice, and enables free speech."

The press office of Management and Budget told me that the fate of the S.J. Res. 6 resolution will take place Thursday at 12:05 EST with a motion to proceed to vote .