Just days after House Republicans defunded the FCC order as part of the continuing resolution now in the Senate’s hands, Sens. John Kerry of Massachusetts, Al Franken of Minnesota, Ron Wyden of Oregon and Maria Cantwell of Washington criticized the GOP for its tactics.

While they signaled interest in revising the 1996 law governing the FCC, the four Democrats stressed, “That does not mean that the agency should stop doing its job under current law.”

“Unfortunately, the House has decided that it knows better what is good for the Internet than the people who use, fund and work on it,” the four lawmakers wrote to Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid and Minority Leader Mitch McConnell.

“They claim to stand for freedom. But the only freedom they are providing for is the freedom of telephone and cable companies to determine the future of the Internet, where you can go on it, what you can attach to it and which services will win or lose on it,” they wrote.

Wednesday’s shot across the bow may be a signal of a tough, partisan fight on the horizon over the FCC’s net neutrality rules — even if Senate Republicans are unable to defund the agency’s order, as their House counterparts did last week.

Still to come are votes in both chambers on twin resolutions of disapproval, which would allow opponents to overturn the FCC’s efforts. That measure is likely to clear the House, but it could experience political difficulty in the Senate — and it is likely to receive a veto if it reaches the president’s desk.

Democrats have hardly remained silent throughout the debate, and some have even vigorously defended the FCC’s net neutrality work. Cantwell, for her part, has introduced a bill that would essentially expand the agency’s net neutrality rules. She told POLITICO before this week’s recess that she had yet to conference with Senate Commerce Committee leaders on her bill.

For now, Cantwell and other three Democrats urged Reid and McConnell to reject efforts to defund the agency’s net neutrality work or overturn it entirely using the CRA.

“There are those who claim to oppose the order because Congress should write a new law to deal with broadband communications instead,” the lawmakers wrote. “We are willing and interested in working with our colleagues on modernization of the Communications Act. But that does not mean that the agency should stop doing its job under current law. And we challenge those opposing the order to produce an alternative framework.”