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California Needs Your Help Passing Net Neutrality

California this week will attempt to pass what could be the toughest net neutrality rules in the nation, but will likely need your help to beat back ISP lobbyists. California's SB 822 will be debated this week in California. The bill effectively mirrors the FCC rules ISPs are trying to kill, but actually takes things further by prohibiting ISPs from using usage caps and "zero rating" anti-competitively. Local supporters of the initiative tell DSLReports.com that they face a hard fight against entrenched lobbyists in the state, and some lawmakers are on the fence.

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State lawmakers will be making an initial decision on the bill rhis Thursday, and the EFF has an easy tool to help you contact your representatives and encourage them to support the measure.

Former FCC boss Tom Wheeler and two other former FCC Chairs have thrown their support behind California's efforts as more than half the states in the country try to protect consumers in the wake of federal apathy. The former FCC chairs' letter of support (pdf) for California's law argues it would "protect Californians and their economy by comprehensively restoring the protections put in place in the 2015 net neutrality order."

In fact California's proposal goes even further by outlawing anti-competitive abuses of "zero rating," or using usage caps as an anti-competitive bludgeon. You'll recall Wheeler's FCC originally didn't prohibit zero rating, which can be used to give an ISP's own content an unfair advantage (by exempting Comcast's streaming service from caps, but still penalizing Netflix, for example). While Wheeler's FCC changed its mind once it realized caps were being used anti-competitively by AT&T and Verizon, it was too late to make a difference (read: Trump appointed Ajit Pai to lead the FCC).

Wheeler's letter argues that the Pai FCC's dismantling of the rules breaks the precedent for bipartisan support of consumer protections.

"For decades, Republican and Democratic FCC chairs and commissioners have understood that internet service providers have the power to interfere with the internet’s openness," the letter states. "When required, the FCC stepped in to prevent harm to this unique platform for free speech, diversity, innovation, and economic growth."

"Responding to repeated legal challenges by ISPs to these FCC actions, the FCC in 2015 enshrined comprehensive net neutrality protections," it continues. "These protections have been upheld twice in federal court. But in a radical shift, the FCC voted last December to eliminate all existing net neutrality protections for the nation’s citizens, businesses and online services."

The EFF has thrown its full support behind California's proposal, calling it the "gold standard of net neutrality legislation" and stating that its passage would "give California the strongest protections in the country." The bill prohibits ISPs from anti-competitive blocking, throttling, or interconnection shenanigans, while carving out exemptions for priority services (like medical care and VoIP) and reasonable network management.

Most recommended from 45 comments



TIGERON
join:2008-03-11
Boston, MA

10 recommendations

TIGERON

Member

A mountain-sized headache Pai and his ISP scumbag friends were asking for

And I am glad it is happening.
Roadkill
Premium Member
join:2008-06-17
united state

2 recommendations

Roadkill

Premium Member

Net Neutrality and forms of control

The FREEDOM yell is once again a subject of regulation. We have theories of how Net Neutrality will be controlled by state governments, and of course; how the federal government would control the subject. The American Government means to control NN by setting it free. The Federal Government set NN free through an American political party. The political party identifies with setting American business free to gain more money and power. We all know the American political parties cannot come up with a single voice as to how control of the American Republic should be done.

American business practice is to become the biggest and most monied corporation; Capitalism. Regulation of Capitalism is a dirty word in one political party, while a focus of another political party. Capitalism would allow any business to become the biggest and most powerful. The road to Capitalism tends to leave casualties like poor people who eventually cannot afford a product. By projecting the will of Capitalism to the extreme; we can end up with one company controlling every aspect of Americans. In the end Capitalism has no regard for methods to obtain money and power.

The American type of government is a Constitutional Republic meaning a regulated type of government. It was set up with three major checks and balances to solve problems for the Republic. Our President is put in place by political parties with the most power. Often; an American President has to pay back his political party. Congress meaning the Senate and House of Representatives gain their position largely through political parties. Once again; Congress has to pay back political favors. Special Interest Groups, Lobbyists, and unknown powers attempt to control Congress. Often billions of dollars are spent by these groups to influence our President and Congress. The Supreme Court is the highest court of America. As such; The Supreme Court is meant to balance legal issues like laws set by the President and Congress. Congress generates laws that are signed or vetoed by our President. In the event a law passed by Congress and our President is totally wrong; The Supreme Court can render the law as a lawful process, or illegal. Each member of the Supreme Court is appointed by a President and approved by Congress to serve a lifetime appointment.

Things are much more complicated than I have stated. I know two things run America; money and politics. Politics are necessary to pass laws and money is needed to buy those laws. We exist in an Oligarchy, or corporate run government. Only the biggest of businesses can achieve the goal of Oligarchy. Here we sit in America with the Biggest internet and telephone businesses attempting to control the World Wide Web. They want to control how, where, and who will benefit from the Internet. Those businesses are so close now to total control that we are nearly helpless. The individual states of the Federal Government are taking last ditch efforts to prevent Oligarchy. The individual states of America, at least about half of our states are trying to keep some control over businesses. We are seeing some of the biggest farces ever passed off as fact from the FCC which just gave up control of how Internet providers should be regulated in some form of decency for American consumers. Do you really want to be an American consumer afloat being controlled by Internet Service Providers?

dean corso
human.exe
join:2007-09-07

2 recommendations

dean corso

Member

California needs A LOT of help.

"Net neutrality" is the least of their issues. Worst standard of living in the union, highest rate of homelessness, out of control taxes, human feces and needles in the street, etc. Place is a progressive dystopia.