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Internet industry groups sue California over net neutrality law
Industry groups representing AT&T, Charter, Comcast and Verizon among others have joined the Justice Department in suing California over the state's new net neutrality law. The groups said the legislation is a "classic example of unconstitutional state regulation" and asked the court to block the law before it takes effect January 1st, Reuters reports.
CA governor signs net neutrality bill into law, Justice Department sues
A net neutrality bill that its sponsor Scott Weiner calls "the strongest in the nation" (after being restored to its original form) is now state law in California after being signed by governor Jerry Brown. SB 822 is intended to restore the protections put in place by a (now-rescinded) 2015 FCC Order, as well as closing "loopholes" that its backers said could have allowed anti-competitive forms of zero-rating. FCC Chairman Ajit Pai captained the effort to repeal those rules, and has called the bill "illegal," setting the stage for a squabble between the state and federal government. And just as quickly as the bill has been signed, the New York Times reports that the Justice Department has filed a lawsuit against it. In a statement, the department claimed "Senate Bill 822, an Internet regulation bill signed into law earlier today by Governor Jerry Brown, unlawfully imposes burdens on the Federal Government's deregulatory approach to the Internet."
FCC’s Ajit Pai labels California net neutrality law 'illegal'
FCC head honcho, Ajit Pai, didn't mince words in comments regarding California's recent passing of a tough net neutrality bill. In his keynote speech for neoconservative policy organization Maine Heritage Policy Center, Pai called California's SB 822 "illegal" and said it "poses a risk to the rest of the country." Pai also hinted that he'd be coming for California should SB 822, seen as the toughest net neutrality law in the nation, receive the governor's signature, as it's expected to in the next two weeks.
California's net neutrality bill is one signature away from taking effect
After SB 822 passed California's state Assembly yesterday, it just needed (re)approval from the Senate before going in front of the governor to be signed into law. The net neutrality bill that its sponsor Scott Weiner calls "the strongest in the nation" got the necessary votes this evening despite opposition from groups representing ISPs like Comcast, AT&T and Verizon. Stanford Center for Internet and Society director Barbara van Schewick said in a statement that "SB 822 sets the standard for other states to follow. SB 822 is the only state-level bill that truly restores all the 2015 net neutrality protections. That's what makes it so special. Most state-level bills have just copied the text of the FCC's 2015 net neutrality rules, leaving out critical protections. By contrast, SB 822 includes the important protections and clarifications in the full Order which explained the rules and closed known loopholes." According to Weiner, "when Donald Trump's FCC decided to take a wrecking ball to net neutrality protections, we knew that California had to step in to ensure our residents have access to a free and open internet." The EFF noted Verizon's recent throttling of internet to firefighters battling a blaze in Mendocino, saying that because the Open Internet order was repealed earlier this year, it could escape "meaningful" punishment for that.
California's net neutrality bill is a step closer to becoming law
Now that the FCC has undone net neutrality protections implemented under the Obama Administration, one response has been to implement tight regulation at the state level. Tonight in California's State Assembly lawmakers passed SB 822 by a vote of 61 - 18, sending it back to the state Senate complete with amendments to bolster some of the protections that keep internet providers from establishing fast/slow lanes or zero-rating certain content. The Senate already passed an earlier version of the bill missing those amendments, and the Mercury News reports that body is expected to pass this one again on Friday, sending it to the desk of governor Jerry Brown. The CTIA, which represents wireless companies including Engadget parent company Verizon, and the California Cable & Telecommunications Association (CCTA) which represents ISPs including Comcast, Charter and Cox released a joint statement claiming "this legislation contains extreme provisions rejected by the Obama FCC in 2015." Their stance is that national legislation is what is needed, but the statement did not specify what that should include. So far, the US Congress has been unable to pass new legislation addressing net neutrality, and supporters of the bill hope this will push more states to implement similar rules.
