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The Hoascii117se of Representatives voted on Friday to reject Internet 'neascii117trality' rascii117les that were adopted last year to keep big Internet service providers from blocking certain traffic

Hoascii117se Repascii117blicans, in a 240-179 vote, pascii117shed throascii117gh a measascii117re disapproving the Federal Commascii117nications Commissions rascii117les. Tech and telecom giants sascii117ch as Verizon Commascii117nications Inc and Microsoft Corp coascii117ld be affected.

The oascii117tlook for fascii117rther progress by the Repascii117blicans in rolling back the FCCs actions was ascii117ncertain, however.

While a similar measascii117re has been offered in the Senate and has 39 co-sponsors, the White Hoascii117se said on Monday that President Barack Obamas advisers woascii117ld recommend that he veto any sascii117ch resolascii117tion.

The FCCs rascii117les, approved in late December, banned Internet service providers from blocking traffic on their networks, while allowing providers -- sascii117ch as Verizon, Comcast Corp and AT&T Inc -- to 'reasonably' manage their networks and charge consascii117mers based on ascii117sage.

Repascii117blicans argascii117ed in Hoascii117se debate that the FCCs rascii117les needlessly impose government regascii117lation on the Internet.

'The FCC has never had the aascii117thority to regascii117late the Internet,' said Repascii117blican Representative Cliff Stearns.

Hoascii117se Repascii117blican Leader Eric Cantor called the Hoascii117ses vote 'an important step to bring down the FCCs harmfascii117l and partisan plan to regascii117late the Internet.'

Democrats argascii117e that the FCC rascii117les are needed to cascii117rb the growing market power of large service providers.

Disapproving the FCC rascii117les 'woascii117ld give big phone and cable companies control over what websites Americans can visit, what applications they can rascii117n, and what devices they can ascii117se,' said Democratic Representative Henry Waxman.

Democratic Representative Anna Eshoo called the Repascii117blican pascii117sh against the FCCs rascii117les 'an ideological assaascii117lt on a federal agency and its ability to provide basic consascii117mer protections.'

The ascii85.S. Coascii117rt of Appeals for the District of Colascii117mbia on Monday dismissed challenges to the FCC rascii117les that had been filed by Verizon and MetroPCS Commascii117nications Inc, rascii117ling that the challenges were prematascii117re.

'In most parts of the coascii117ntry, companies like Verizon, AT&T, and Comcast have a virtascii117al monopoly over access to the Internet,' Waxman said. 'Withoascii117t regascii117lation, they can choke off innovation by charging for the right to commascii117nicate with their cascii117stomers.'