House Democrats, meanwhile, have abandoned an effort to regulate how telecom companies control the flow of traffic on the internet. On Wednesday, House Commerce Committee chairman Henry Waxman said he is dropping a “net neutrality” bill after failing to attract Republican support. The measure was intended to ensure cable and phone companies grant web users equal access to all websites. In a statement, Waxman urged the Federal Communications Commission to impose its own net neutrality rules. But the FCC’s regulatory authority is in question following an appeals court ruling earlier this year that said the FCC can’t prevent internet service providers from blocking and controlling internet traffic.