The U.S. Senate Wednesday voted to save net neutrality by overturning a decision made by the Federal Communications Commission to repeal the regulations made in 2015 under President Barack Obama.

The vote was 52 to 47 and included three Republicans along with all 49 Democrats on the side of reversing the FCC decision. Such a vote was made possible under the Congressional Review Act, which allows Congress to review new regulations with a majority vote.

This is a small step, however. Now the resolution goes to the House of Representatives and potentially President Donald Trump. The House has a much larger Republican majority, however, and most of them support the FCC’s decision to overturn net neutrality regulations. It’s also unlikely, though not impossible, that Trump will veto the decision.

This fight isn’t over — we need every American, from consumers to small business owners, to continue speaking up and urging their Representatives and Donald Trump to support this resolution and end their misguided efforts to roll back #NetNeutrality protections

— Tammy Duckworth (@SenDuckworth) May 16, 2018

Some say the decision could be largely symbolic, given that the majority of the American public support net neutrality and politicians are well aware how their stance on the issue might affect them when voters go to the polls for the midterms. For this reason, Republican Sen. John Thune of South Dakota called the vote “Fake” in a statement, adding that “this vote was about politics, not protecting net neutrality.”

Senate Minority Leader Charles Schumer of New York thinks otherwise, saying in an interview that the vote reflects the people’s choice and should not be undermined. “Our greatest weapon are our people in the streets,” he said. “Republicans are starting to hear the drumbeat. They are with the special interests, and we are with the people.”

There is also a coalition formed by tech companies in support of keeping the regulations as well as a lawsuit that was filed in January by 22 state attorneys to save the rules. Even so, it seems that if net neutrality is to be saved, there will have to be a miracle in the House of Representatives and the White House alike.

“It’s disappointing that Senate Democrats forced this resolution through by a narrow margin,” said FCC Chairman Ajit Pai. “But, ultimately, I’m confident that their effort to reinstate heavy-handed government regulation of the internet will fail.”

Image:  Credo Action via Flickr