Obama to veto House efforts to scuttle Internet fairness rules

The White House threatened on Monday to veto any bill from Congress that would scuttle new rules aimed at keeping Internet access 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 Office of Management and Budget said in a Statement of Administration Policy.

The House Rules Committee voted on Monday evening to send the resolution to the House floor. The resolution would repeal the Federal Communications Commission's so-called "network-neutrality" regulations, designed to prevent Internet carriers from blocking websites that use too much bandwidth. The committee voted to allow one hour of debate on the issue. House aides say a vote is expected on Tuesday but the resolution is not expected to make it past the Senate.

Reps. Greg Walden, R-Ore., and Anna Eshoo, D-Calif., duked it out one-on-one at the hearing on the issue.

The debate between Walden and Eshoo, who opposes the resolution, included not only familiar arguments over the merits of the rules, but also a lot of he-said, she-said disagreement over what witnesses said.

Democrats on the committee again sought to amend the resolution, but Republicans countered that under congressional rules, a resolution of disapproval cannot be amended.

"Disapproval of the rule would threaten those values and raise questions as to whether innovation on the Internet will be allowed to flourish, consumers will be protected from abuses, and the democratic spirit of the Internet will remain intact," the White House statement read.