SACRAMENTO – Today, the California State Senate voted in favor of Senate Bill 460, the measure by Senate Leader Kevin de León to preserve net neutrality protections for California businesses and consumers. The bill was approved on a 21-12 vote and now moves on for consideration by the State Assembly.
“In today’s digital world, the internet is central to our democracy, economy, and way of life,” Senate Leader Kevin de León said. “SB 460 protects a level playing field for our online businesses and gives consumers greater transparency about the services we all rely on every day.”
BACKGROUND:
In December of last year, the Trump Administration’s Federal Communications Commission (FCC) voted to rescind its 2015 Open Internet Order, which established strong net neutrality protections for American consumers and businesses that rely on the internet.
SB 460 makes net neutrality violations subject to enforcement under California’s consumer protection and unfair business practices laws. It also prohibits state agencies from contracting with Internet Service Providers (ISPs) unless the ISPs certify under penalty of perjury that they are abiding by net neutrality rules.
A growing number of states across the nation, including Montana and New York, are already acting to prohibit their states from doing business with companies that don’t abide by net neutrality rules, as SB 460 does. Several additional states, from Rhode Island to Washington are considering similar legislation.
Bipartisan legislation by U.S. Senator Ed Markey (D-Mass) to reinstate federal net neutrality rules is currently pending before the U.S. Senate, with 50 co-sponsors.