Thursday, November 08, 2018

Only House Republican On Net Neutrality CRA Petition Does Not Get Reelected


On Tuesday’s election night, Republican Representative Mike Coffman lost his bid for reelection in Colorado’s 6th Congressional district by about 25,000 votes to Democrat challenger Jason Crow. Notably, Congressman Coffman was the only Republican member of the House to sign the Congressional Review Act (CRA) resolution discharge petition intended to negate the FCC’s Restoring Internet Freedom Order which repealed the Obama FCC’s Title II public utility-style regulations imposed on broadband Internet service providers. But Coffman’s pro-net neutrality efforts apparently did not help him get reelected.
When Coffman signed the CRA discharge petition in July 2018, he made multiple statements regarding his disappointment with the FCC’s Restoring Internet Freedom Order.
Interestingly, by signing the CRA discharge petition, Coffman indicated that he agreed with those who want to restore the Obama FCC's order imposing public utility-type regulation on Internet service providers.
In a just a few months, Mike Coffman will no longer be a member of Congress. Some have called his efforts to cross party lines to become the lone Republican to sign the CRA discharge petition a “bold” move. I'm sure there were other factors that played a role in Rep. Coffman's defeat, but taking a position in favor of repealing the Restoring Internet Freedom Order certainly didn't help him.