As widely discussed, the U.S. Senate on May 17 secured passage of a resolution designed to thwart the FCC's December 2017 decision to abandon the Net neutrality rules announced and implemented by the Obama Administration in 2015 and sustained by the D.C. District Court in 2016. While most quarters view the protections offered by Net neutrality as imperative, the Trump Administration's deregulatory push has enabled the FCC's Republican majority to force abandonment of the rules, despite overwhelming bipartisan support of keeping them in place and intact.

Of course, this resolution represents only the first step in undoing the FCC's actions (more on that in a minute). The next step in this type of legislative override of agency action would require a similar vote in the House of Representatives, followed by a presidential autograph. Neither of these are likely. But the fact remains that several Republican senators, recognizing the consequences, joined the Democrats to send a clear message that the FCC's decision was ill-advised (some might dare to say "bone-headed"), and, perhaps more importantly, that this issue will have political consequences, if not before June 11, then certainly on Nov. 6 when the entire House is up for grabs.