California governor signs strong net neutrality bill into law

A net neutrality bill that its sponsor Scott Weiner calls "the strongest in the nation" 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 SB 822 is intended to restore the protections put in place by a (now-rescinded) 2015 FCC Order, as well as closing "loopholes" that its backers said could have allowed anti-competitive forms of zero-rating.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.

Weiner said in a statement that "Today marks a true win for the internet and for an open society." Stanford professor Barbara van Schewick said "Like the 2015 Order, SB 822 ensures that Californians, not the companies they pay to get online, get to be in control of what sites, apps and services they use. SB 822 bans ISPs from blocking, throttling, and charging websites fees for access to the ISP's subscribers or for fast lanes, which will protect California's economic growth, innovation economy and democratic engagement."

The move has also been opposed by ISPs like Comcast and Verizon (the owner of Engadget's parent company). Industry group US Telecom, which counts AT&T and Verizon among its members, issued a statement from president & CEO Jonathan Spalter, who said: "We all support strong and enforceable net neutrality protections for every American – regardless of where they may live. But this bill is neither the way to get there, nor will it help advance the promise and potential of California's innovation DNA. Rather than 50 states stepping in with their own conflicting open internet solutions, we need Congress to step up with a national framework for the whole internet ecosystem and resolve this issue once and for all."

Source: Scott Weiner (Twitter), California Legislature, LA Times



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