August 31, 2018 02:01 PM UTC

The Blueprint for State Net Neutrality Laws

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• by: Colorado Pols

In late 2017, the Republican-controlled Federal Communications Commission (FCC) decided to murder “Net Neutrality” in a 3-2 party-line vote. Efforts have been ongoing to get Congress to override the FCC’s decision, but the lack of movement in Washington D.C. means that it probably falls to individual states to prevent Internet service providers from creating “slow and fast lanes,” throttling speeds, and blocking or restricting access to individual websites at will (read this for more on why Net Neutrality is so important).

As Ars Technica reports today, California lawmakers have come up with a Net Neutrality proposal that is being touted as the “gold standard” for similar laws across the country:

The bill would prohibit Internet service providers from blocking or throttling lawful traffic, and from requiring fees from websites or online services to deliver or prioritize their traffic to consumers. The bill also imposes limits on data cap exemptions (so-called “zero-rating”) and says that ISPs may not attempt to evade net neutrality protections by slowing down traffic at network interconnection points…

…”ISPs have tried hard to gut and kill this bill, pouring money and robocalls into California,” Electronic Frontier Foundation Policy Analyst Katharine Trendacosta wrote after the vote.

With Senate action pending, “California could pass a gold standard net neutrality bill, providing a template for states going forward,” Trendacosta continued. “California can prove that ISP money can’t defeat real people’s voices.”

If you’re still not convinced about the need to preserve Net Neutrality, just read this paragraph:

The bill recently gained support from groups representing firefighters, who are angry at Verizon for throttling Santa Clara County Fire’s “unlimited data” while it was fighting the state’s largest-ever wildfire. [Pols emphasis]

Colorado lawmakers can push for state-level Net Neutrality protections when the legislature reconvenes in January. They should start (and end) with this blueprint from California.

[Hat tip to “Pseudonymous” for the link.]