sb822

Lobbyists and front organisations for big telecoms companies killed one network neutrality bill – senate bill 460 – in the California legislature, and are carrying their fight against another – SB 822 – to governor Jerry Brown, who must approve or veto it. Their tactics include spreading lies and fear among senior citizens and other targeted groups.

According to an article in the Verge by Jacob Kastrenakes, an organisation that calls itself the Civil Justice Association of California is behind anti-SB 822 robocalls that targeted senior citizens, Asian Americans and Latinos.… More

One strong network neutrality bill – senate bill 822 – was passed by the California senate yesterday, but a second one – SB 460 – failed in the assembly.

SB 822 was carried by senator Scott Wiener (D – San Francisco). It reinstates the “bright line” net neutrality rules adopted in 2015, then scrapped in 2017 by the Federal Communications Commission: no blocking, throttling or paid prioritisation. It also takes a couple of general rules from the 2015 decision and makes them specific: no non-neutral zero rating and no evading net neutrality regulations via upstream interconnections to other companies.… More

Senate bill 822 was approved on a lopsided vote in the California assembly yesterday. The tally was 61 ayes, 18 noes, 1 abstention. All democrats and five republicans voted aye; the noes and the abstention (which has the same effect as a no) were all republicans.

The bill, authored by senator Scott Weiner (D – San Francisco) reinstates network neutrality regulations in California: no blocking, throttling, paid prioritisation and non-neutral zero rating of consumer broadband service, both within an Internet service provider’s network and at the point of connection to other networks.… More

The good news is that California senate bill 822 won’t – can’t – be watered down or otherwise amended. Last night was the deadline set by the California constitution for making and posting amendments to any pending legislation (short of a declaration of emergency by the governor). Authored by senator Scott Wiener (D – San Francisco), SB 822 would reinstate network neutrality regulations scrapped last year by the Federal Communications Commission. It would outlaw blocking, throttling, paid prioritisation and non-neutral zero rating of consumer broadband service, as well as any attempt by Internet service providers to evade those bans via upstream maneuvers.… More

It’s five days and counting, to the end of the California legislature’s 2018 session. There are hundreds of bills still under consideration. Not all of them will pass, of course. Some will be voted down, but even more will die a quiet death, for lack of a vote.

Senate bill 822 is not likely to go away quietly. It’s the high profile bill, by senator Scott Wiener (D – San Francisco), that would establish stringent network neutrality rules in California.… More

Two bills aimed at restoring network neutrality in California made it through a previous legislative road block yesterday. The California assembly’s communications and conveyances committee approved senate bills 822 and 460 on party line votes, with all net neutrality rules intact.

Most of the discussion yesterday was about zero rating and interconnection agreements. Lobbyists for AT&T, mobile carriers and Comcast’s and Charter Communications’ front organisation led the opposition to the bills. They didn’t like any of it, but they particularly objected to a ban on deals between ISPs and web companies that do an end run around net neutrality rules, and to restrictions on zero rating.… More