• by Wendy Davis  @wendyndavis, February 17, 2011

The House of Representatives voted on Thursday to prevent the Federal Communications from using any funds to implement net neutrality regulations.

The 244-181 vote approved a spending bill amendment proposed by Rep. Greg Walden (R-Ore.). The defunding vote came one day after House members grilled FCC members about the new open Internet rules, which prohibit broadband providers from blocking content or applications.

The defunding measure won't become law unless it is also passed by the Senate and signed by the president.

Veteran lawmaker Ed Markey (D-Mass.) was among the Democrats who opposed the vote. “You vote for this amendment and you give control to the broadband barons,” he said.

Earlier this week, GOP lawmakers in the House and Senate introduced resolutions of disapproval to vacate the FCC's neutrality order.

Thursday's vote drew criticism from the neutrality advocacy group Free Press. Craig Aaaron, managing director of the Free Press Action Fund, said that House's measure "would leave Internet users without any recourse if their phone or cable company decided to block their access to Web sites or applications for any reason -- because they don’t like someone’s political views, because they don’t want any real competition or, well, just because."