Seeking to rescue net neutrality, a California lawmaker on Wednesday introduced a consumer protection bill that would bar internet providers from slowing or throttling internet access in the Golden State.
State Sen. Scott Wiener’s proposal is a direct response to the Federal Communications Commission’s controversial decision in December to stash net-neutrality rules. Critics, including Wiener and a host of consumer protection groups, argue the FCC has set the table for providers to pander to websites willing to pay for quicker access.
Wiener, D-San Francisco, introduced the bill on the first day of the legislative session and took a shot at President Donald Trump.
“Net neutrality is essential to our 21st-century democracy,” Wiener said in a statement. “We won’t let the Trump-led FCC dismantle our right to a free and open internet, and we won’t let them create a system where internet providers can favor websites and services based on who pays more money.”
Under the legislation, the California Public Utilities Commission would be the watchdog agency over providers like Comcast and AT&T, tasked with enforcing new net neutrality laws. Net neutrality would be required for cable franchise agreements, new state contracts and access to state-owned utility poles.
The FCC’s 3-2 to vote to kill net neutrality led to a bipartisan uproar and a flood of new legislation.
New York and Washington state have proposed bills to ban providers from offering specialized services to website operators in a practice known as throttling or fast lanes. New York’s version was proposed by a Democrat, Washington state’s by a Republican.
If the states’ measures are eventually passed, they will likely be challenged by the federal government. The abolition order reiterates the FCC’s stance that its laws pre-empt state communications laws.
“We therefore pre-empt any state or local measures that would effectively impose rules or requirements that we have repealed or decided to refrain from imposing in this order or that would impose more stringent requirements for any aspect of broadband service,” the FCC order states.
Wiener counters that while states have long deferred to federal neutrality rules, the FCC’s pre-emption provision isn’t bulletproof. He points to a 2016 Sixth Circuit ruling that upheld Tennessee and North Carolina’s right to regulate and restrict expansion by municipal telecommunications providers as precedent.
First Amendment groups like the Electronic Frontier Foundation and the American Civil Liberties Union back Wiener’s net neutrality effort.
“The FCC’s complete abandonment of its responsibilities to protect the free and open internet will go down as one of the biggest mistakes in internet policy history,” said Ernesto Falcon, Electronic Frontier Foundation legislative counsel. “In light of the complete absence of federal protections, we absolutely must have state laws fill the void on both privacy and network neutrality.”
As of Wednesday, 10 state lawmakers have requested to be co-authors of the proposal.
Wiener, a first-term state senator, says that along with net neutrality, he will pursue a package of housing bills this year that call for the expansion of farmworker housing and new housing near public transportation centers. He will also continue work on LGBT issues and renewable energy proposals.
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Good for him, he’s exactly right! Many people don’t realize how important the decision is to remove “net neutrality” or what it means, but when asked if they want Comcast, AT&T, Charter and any other internet company from killing competition, they agree that would be bad, to give them even more power over consumers:
this is a good description:
“…introduced a consumer protection bill that would bar internet providers from slowing or throttling internet access in the Golden State.”
Internet providers already have monopolies for service, now they can control which co’s and websites go slow or fast on their networks: that’s like giving special fast lane permits to certain preferred co’s and forcing others to use the slow lane with trucks and buses, while they pocket all the profit and keep hiking the prices we pay them.
On March 21, 2023, the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors unanimously approved a motion adopting a plan for the County Probation Department’s halls and camps, specifically as it relates to establishing Secure Youth Treatment Facilities following the transfer of juvenile serious offenders from state to county custody.
College of the Canyons student-athletes Alyssa Hamilton (women's swim) and Alexander Moores (men's golf) have been named the COC Athletic Department's Women's & Men's Student-Athletes of the Week for the period running March 13-18.
On March 21, 2023, the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors unanimously approved a motion adopting a plan for the County Probation Department’s halls and camps, specifically as it relates to establishing Secure Youth Treatment Facilities following the transfer of juvenile serious offenders from state to county custody.
Already a two-time All-State selection, College of the Canyons sophomore LuLu Salloom has been named a 2023 Women's Basketball Coaches Association (WBCA) Two-Year College Coaches' All-American Honorable Mention honoree, just the second player in program history to receive such an honor.
On Monday afternoon, the California State University, Northridge women's tennis team extended its longest winning streak since 2015 when the Matadors defeated St. Thomas (Minn.) 7-0.
College of the Canyons, ranked No. 13, split a non-conference doubleheader vs. No. 10 Fullerton College on Saturday, taking the opener at Whitten Field in shutout fashion behind pitcher Allyson Melgar's big game before seeing the Hornets come away ahead in the late afternoon affair.
College of the Canyons student-athletes Alyssa Hamilton (women's swim) and Alexander Moores (men's golf) have been named the COC Athletic Department's Women's & Men's Student-Athletes of the Week for the period running March 13-18.
More than 1 billion Muslims around the world are preparing for Ramadan, and fasting which takes during the holiday is recognized as one of the Five Pillars of Islam.
The Los Angeles County Department of Public Health confirmed Tuesday no new deaths and 22 new cases in the Santa Clarita Valley, with 12 additional deaths and 644 new cases countywide.
The Master's University baseball team won both games of Saturday's doubleheader against the No. 7 Hope International Royals to win the three-game series.
The Master's men's and women's track and field teams set three school records and had 51 personal bests at the Ross and Sharon Irwin Collegiate Meet hosted by Point Loma Nazarene University.
The Sierra Hillbillies Square Dance Club will hold an Alumni Dance Sunday, April 2, hosting former members and class graduates with former club instructor and caller Rod Shuping at the mic.
The Santa Clarita Community College District Board of Trustees will meet in open session for a joint business meeting with the Associated Student Government Wednesday, March 22, at 3:30 p.m., in the University Center, Room 301 on the Valencia campus of College of the Canyons.
The city of Santa Clarita’s Film Office released the seven productions currently filming in the Santa Clarita Valley for the week of Monday, March 20 – Sunday, March 26.
Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Homicide investigators are continuing their investigation into the circumstances surrounding the shooting death of two males Saturday in the city of Santa Clarita.
The recent rainfall has prompted Los Angeles County Health Officer, Muntu Davis, MD, MPH, to caution residents that bacteria, chemicals, debris, trash, and other public health hazards from city streets and mountain areas are likely to contaminate ocean waters around discharging storm drains, creeks and rivers after the rainfall.
The Los Angeles County Department of Public Health confirmed Monday no new deaths and 40 new cases in the Santa Clarita Valley over the weekend, with 35 additional deaths and 1,238 new cases countywide.
Join the Child & Family Center on Sunday, May 7 for the tastiest event of the year. The 34th Taste of the Town is back at Blomgren Ranch, 15142 Sierra Highway, Santa Clarita, CA 91390.
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2 Comments
Good for him, he’s exactly right! Many people don’t realize how important the decision is to remove “net neutrality” or what it means, but when asked if they want Comcast, AT&T, Charter and any other internet company from killing competition, they agree that would be bad, to give them even more power over consumers:
this is a good description:
“…introduced a consumer protection bill that would bar internet providers from slowing or throttling internet access in the Golden State.”
Internet providers already have monopolies for service, now they can control which co’s and websites go slow or fast on their networks: that’s like giving special fast lane permits to certain preferred co’s and forcing others to use the slow lane with trucks and buses, while they pocket all the profit and keep hiking the prices we pay them.
We don’t HAVE a “democracy”, Wiener, you idiot.