header image

[Sign Up Now] to Receive Our FREE Daily SCVTV-SCVNews Digest by E-Mail

Inside
Weather


 
Calendar
Today in
S.C.V. History
January 21
1914 - Signal newspaper owner-editor Scott Newhall born in San Francisco [story]
Scott Newhall


SACRAMENTO – Two weeks after promising to pull his net neutrality bill after a California state Assembly committee stripped key protections, a state senator on Thursday announced a breakthrough in negotiations on the stalled landmark legislation.

State Sen. Scott Wiener, D-San Francisco, joined Assemblyman Miguel Santiago, D-Los Angeles, to announce a revived net neutrality plan will come before the Legislature in August.

“This will be the most comprehensive, strongest net neutrality protection in the United States, bar none,” Wiener said. “We are restoring what we lost when Donald Trump’s FCC obliterated the internet.”

Wiener will officially amend his SB-822 bill Aug. 6 when the Legislature returns from summer recess, to avoid violating rules that bar amending bills when not in session.

The final breakthrough came in restructuring and rewording areas of Wiener’s bill around protections not part of the Obama-era Federal Communications Commission order, repealed by President Donald Trump in 2017. On June 20, the Assembly Committee on Communication and Conveyance – which Santiago chairs – found some areas of the bill weak and unlikely to pass judicial muster.

Santiago explained that built-in constraints within the political process prevented his committee from reaching an agreement with Wiener before the committee hearing, leading to lost tempers within the statehouse and threats against legislators from constituents across the state.

“Plain and simple, we ran out of time, and sometimes the legislative process is messy,” Santiago said. “To keep the bill moving, we put in amendments. But right after, we said we have to sit down and get this right. This bill is stronger, it keeps core protections and it is written in such a way that it will withstand legal challenge.”

The reinstated key areas of protection affect the ability of internet service providers to manipulate data at the point of interconnectivity, where services from a provider meet and incorporate with another and transmit third-party data.

The point is regulated through agreements brokered by the owners of the equipment that have been in place for 20 years in some cases – agreements that may be invalidated by net neutrality. The FCC declined to regulate interconnectivity in 2015.

Proponents of net neutrality fear that ISPs may throttle or restrict access to certain websites or content. While there are few examples this has happened and regulations preventing such anticompetitive behavior already affect ISPs like AT&T, state Sen. Kevin De Leon hammered home the point that access to the internet is essential to some, and could be critically impacted by what ISPs may do in the future.

“This fight is about so much more than our ability to stream the best shows on Netflix or Hulu or whatever websites you want to enjoy for whatever reason,” De Leon said. “For some folks, it’s quite frankly about life and death.

“We are fighting to preserve net neutrality because we believe a free and open internet is vital to our democracy and our way of life. Net neutrality is fundamentally an issue of free speech.”

The rewritten legislation will again incorporate prohibitions on blocking websites, speeding up or slowing down websites or whole classes of applications like video, charging websites for access to an ISP’s subscribers or making subscribers pay for “fast lanes.”

Wiener’s bill was previously changed to incorporate another bill written by De Leon, ensuring that if SB 822 did not pass, no net neutrality protections would move forward in 2018. De Leon’s bill will be amended in the future to require ISPs who do business with the state to meet net neutrality regulations.

“To be clear, we are not out of the woods,” Wiener cautioned.

Assemblyman Rob Bonta, D-Alameda, who worked with Wiener, Santiago and De Leon to rewrite SB 822, added: “We still have very powerful special interests to defeat here in the Assembly. I have confidence that California internet users will win this fight.”

Service providers like AT&T, T-Mobile and Comcast remain opposed to the legislation. An AT&T representative did not respond to a request for comment by press time.

Meanwhile, a coalition of opponents including the California Chamber of Commerce believe creating a state net neutrality regulation is misguided and detrimental to Californians and the economy.

“SB 822 will not promote or protect an open internet. Instead, it opens the door to a patchwork of unworkable state regulations that will stymie innovation, and potentially undermine the backbone of California’s Internet economy,” the coalition said in an email.

“Despite virtually no showing of harms or violations of any rules, and regardless of strong federal and state regulatory and enforcement safeguards currently in place, SB 822 goes beyond the previous 2015 Net Neutrality Rules, including the creation of untenable procurement requirements and enforcement by multiple forums,” the email said.

The measure will be taken up by the state Assembly on Aug. 6 to confirm the new amendments. While the bill was initially passed in the state Senate, the multitude of changes requires another reading.

Comment On This Story
COMMENT POLICY: We welcome comments from individuals and businesses. All comments are moderated. Comments are subject to rejection if they are vulgar, combative, or in poor taste.
REAL NAMES ONLY: All posters must use their real individual or business name. This applies equally to Twitter account holders who use a nickname.

0 Comments

You can be the first one to leave a comment.

Leave a Comment


SCV NewsBreak
Current Time 0:00
/
Duration Time 0:00
Loaded: 0%
0:00
Progress: 0%
Stream TypeLIVE
Remaining Time -0:00
 
1x
LOCAL NEWS HEADLINES
Monday, Jan 20, 2025
L.A. Public Health Windblown Dust, Ash Advisory
The Los Angeles County Department of Public Health is issuing a windblown dust and ash advisory following strong Santa Ana winds expected to affect the region through Tuesday, Jan. 21 at 10 p.m.
Monday, Jan 20, 2025
County Warns: Dangerous Santa Ana Winds, Extreme Fire Weather
Ahead of another forecasted Particularly Dangerous Situation Red Flag warning and extreme fire weather, Los Angeles County is asking the public to prepare.
Friday, Jan 17, 2025
Keep Up With Our Facebook

Latest Additions to SCVNews.com
1914 - Signal newspaper owner-editor Scott Newhall born in San Francisco [story]
Scott Newhall
District Attorney Nathan J. Hochman has announced the appointment of Michael Gennaco as Special Prosecutor who is among the nation’s foremost experts in civil rights and police misconduct cases.
DA Hires Special Prosecutor for Police Misconduct Cases
In response to the ongoing challenges posed by the Palisades and Eaton Fires, the county of Los Angeles Department of Animal Care and Control has mobilized its resources and partnerships to ensure the safety and well-being of the animals affected.
DACC Facilitates Adoption, Rescue Efforts in Response to Wildfires
The WiSH Education Foundation Wednesday Webinar series continues 5-6:30 p.m. Wednesday, Feb. 12 with "College Admissions for Visual and Performing Arts Majors."
Feb. 12: WiSH Webinar on ‘College Admissions for Visual, Performing Arts Majors’
The regular meeting of the Saugus Union School District Governing Board will take place Tuesday, Jan. 21 beginning at 6:30 p.m.
Jan. 21: SUSD Governing Board Regular Meeting
A Better World Running will host the Cupid Dash 5k, 10k, 15k, Half Marathon 7:30 a.m. Sunday, Feb. 16 at West Creek Park 24247 Village Circle Drive, Valencia, CA 91354.
Feb. 16: Cupid Dash 5k, 10k, 15k, Half Marathon
The Los Angeles County Department of Military & Veterans Affairs will resume normal operations at Bob Hope Patriotic Hall (1816 S. Figueroa St., Los Angeles, California, 90015) on Tuesday, Jan. 21.
Jan. 21: Normal Operations Resume at Bob Hope Patriotic Hall
The Los Angeles County Department of Public Health is issuing a windblown dust and ash advisory following strong Santa Ana winds expected to affect the region through Tuesday, Jan. 21 at 10 p.m.
L.A. Public Health Windblown Dust, Ash Advisory
The Master's University men's basketball defense stepped up in the final moments of the game to get an 80-72 conference road win over Benedictine Mesa Thursday night, Jan. 16.
Defense Stepped Up in Mustangs Win over BenU
Three different players each scored 17 points and the team shot nearly 50 percent from the field as The Master's University women's basketball team defeated Benedictine Mesa 83-71 Thursday night, Jan. 16 in Mesa, Ariz.
TMU Women’s Hoops Gets Road Win over Redhawks
College of the Canyons men's basketball had four players reach double-digits but it wasn't enough to keep pace with No. 5 state-ranked Citrus College in a 111-77 road affair Wednesday night, Jan. 15.
Canyons Can’t Get Past No. 5 Citrus College
College of the Canyons women's basketball is still looking for its first conference victory after its 75-54 road loss at Citrus College on Wednesday, Jan. 15.
Ceja, Saridin Shine, Cougars Fall at Citrus
Ahead of another forecasted Particularly Dangerous Situation Red Flag warning and extreme fire weather, Los Angeles County is asking the public to prepare.
County Warns: Dangerous Santa Ana Winds, Extreme Fire Weather
1993 - Hart High grad Dee Dee Myers (1979) becomes first female White House press secretary [story]
Dee Dee Myers
1967 - Original airing of Star Trek "Arena" Episode: Kirk battles the Gorn commander (Saugus resident Bobby Clark) at Vasquez Rocks [watch]
Kirk vs. Gorn commander
1899 - Martin & Richard Wood buy J.H. Tolfree's Saugus Eating House (still inside Saugus Depot), rename it Saugus Cafe [story]
Saugus Cafe
Fritz Coleman’s show "Unassisted Living," in Residency at the El Oortal Monroe Forum in North Hollywood, will be performed on Sunday, Jan. 26 t0 benefit the California Community Foundation Wildlife Recovery Fund with 100% of all profits raised donated to the fund.
Jan. 26: Fritz Coleman’s ‘Unassisted Living’ to Benefit Wildfire Recovery Fund
The Santa Clarita Community College District Board of Trustees will hold a business meeting Wednesday, Jan. 22, beginning at 5 p.m. The board will first meet in closed session at 3 p.m.
Jan. 22: COC Board Business Meeting
The Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department Homicide Bureau continues its dedicated efforts to locate individuals reported missing following the devastating Eaton and Palisades fires.
LASD Reports 17 Still Missing in L.A. Area Wildfires
The Canyon Theatre Guild opens the Broadway musical, "West Side Story" on Saturday, Jan. 18 on stage at the community theater in Old Town Newhall.
‘West Side Story’ Opens at the Canyon Theatre Guild
The William S. Hart Union High School District Governing Board has unanimously approved the appointment of Jordan Meraz as the new Director of Technology Services.
Jordan Meraz Named Hart Director of Technology Services
The American Red Cross is offering financial assistance for families whose homes were damaged or destroyed by Los Angeles County wildfires. Assistance available to those affected by Eaton, Palisades, Hurst and Kenneth fires.
Red Cross Offers Financial Assistance to Fire Victims
Cal Fire and the Los Angeles County Fire Department have reported that containment efforts continue for all three activie fires still burning in Southern California.
Repopulation Efforts in Eaton, Palisades Fire Areas, 27 Fire Deaths Reported
SCVNews.com