Lawmakers prepare fight against FCC over Net Neutrality repeal
California and New York have introduced bills to prevent internet providers from blocking services
California and New York have introduced bills to prevent internet providers from blocking services
State lawmakers across at least six states are pushing back against the repeal of net neutrality.
According to the New York Times, ever since the Federal Communications Commission voted to repeal net neutrality rules, a few states have taken action.
States like California and New York have already introduced bills to prevent internet providers from blocking or slowing down specific sites or services. Other states, like North Carolina and Illinois, are also looking at possible moves to keep net neutrality in effect.
“There tends to be a follow-on effect, particularly when something happens in a big state like California,” said Harold Feld, a senior vice president at the pro-net neutrality nonprofit consumer group Public Knowledge.
–6 ways Black folks can stay woke on Net Neutrality–
Possible challenges ahead
Of course, even with these new laws in place, net neutrality could still face a fight in the courts. After all, the FCC’s new rules, which repealed the net neutrality protections from the Obama era, specifically said that state and local governments could not make their own rules.
“The internet is the ultimate form of interstate commerce, which is clearly only within the authority of the FCC,” said Bret Swanson, a fellow at the American Enterprise Institute who specializes in telecommunications policy, according to the Times.
Basically, the FCC argued that since the internet crosses state lines, it would be hard for providers like Verizon and Comcast to adhere to different laws across different states.
Who has the last word?
However, the states are now arguing that they had an obligation to protect consumers. What’s more, they argue that the FCC can’t issue a blanket demand against the state. Instead, they say, Congress had to issue rules like that.
Besides, states argue, they have long been able to approve or deny requests for providers to operate in their state. So, they should be able to set their own rules.
Whatever happens in the courts and across the states, the issue of net neutrality isn’t going away anytime soon. In fact, Democrats made it clear that they would make it a big issue in the 2018 elections, especially since millennial voters have put a lot of importance on a free and open internet.
