Rep. Blackburn gets Democrat's support on legislation to strike net neutrality

Rep. Marsha Blackburn (R-Tenn.) filed legislation Wednesday to strike down Internet line regulations passed by the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) in December.

She already has a Democrat supporting her effort, with Blue-Dog Democrat Rep. Dan Boren (Okla.) joining her on the bill. 

Blackburn's office said she is also joined by more than 60 members, including the majority of Republicans on the House Energy and Commerce Committee. 

The bill states that regulations impacting the Internet must be left to Congress, striking the FCC's rules. 

"The FCC's Christmas week Internet-grab points out how important it is that we pass this bill quickly," Blackburn said in a statement. 

"I agree that the Internet faces a number of challenges. Only Congress can address those challenges without compounding them. Until we do, the FCC and other federal bureaucracies should keep their hands off the 'net," she said.

Blackburn, a member of the House Communications subcommittee and the incoming vice chair of the trade subcommittee, has been a leading critic of net neutrality. She filed the same bill in the last Congress.