News

Tester, Booker play basketball to promote net neutrality

Two Democratic senators held a friendly game of one-on-one basketball Tuesday in a “battle for the net” in an attempt to promote a bill to block the Federal Communications Commission’s (FCC) repeal of net neutrality rules.

Sens. Cory Booker (D-N.J.) and Jon Tester (D-Mont.) faced off in a short round of half-court basketball in a video posted to both senators’ social media accounts to promote their usage of the Congressional Review Act to block the FCC’s repeal of net neutrality, which was written into the federal register last week.

“In honor of today’s Day of the Action, @CoryBooker & I had our own #BattleForTheNet. Check out who won and how you can get in the game by calling your Senators and demanding they support our bill. We just need #OneMoreVote to #SaveTheInternet and preserve #NetNeutrality,” Tester wrote on Twitter.

In the video, Tester can be seen making jump shots and taunting Booker about his shooting. In one clip, Tester appears to foul the New Jersey Democrat, sending him tumbling to the floor. Booker made a couple of shots of his own.

{mosads}

At the end, the two are seen visibly winded while urging net neutrality supporters to have their own “battle for the net” by contacting their lawmakers in support of the Obama-era FCC rules.

The pair’s Congressional Review Act resolution, which was introduced Tuesday, needs one more vote to pass the Senate, and would still require Republican support to pass the GOP-majority House. In addition, President Trump could veto the resolution if it does manage to pass the House.

A companion resolution in the House sponsored by Rep. Mike Doyle (D-Pa.) already has 150 sponsors, according to Ars Technica.