By a 20-13 vote Thursday that partially followed party lines, the House Judiciary Committee approved a bill that would require broadband providers to abide by strict Net neutrality principles, meaning that their networks must be operated in a "nondiscriminatory" manner. All 14 Democrats on the committee (joined by six Republicans) supported the measure, while 13 Republicans opposed it.
That vote is a surprise victory for Internet companies such as Amazon.com, Google, Microsoft and Yahoo that had lobbied fiercely in the last few months for stricter laws to ensure that Verizon, AT&T and other broadband providers could not create a "fast lane" reserved for video or other high-priority content of their choice.
In an unusual twist, many members of the committee said they werevoting for the legislation not because of strong concerns over Netneutrality--but instead because of a turf battle. They said they wereworried that a competing proposal already approved by a different committee last month would diminish their own influence in the future.
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