State senator aims to save net neutrality
State lawmakers are trying to preserve net neutrality rules in Massachusetts, even after the Federal Communications Commission repealed the regulations last week.
“This ruling at the federal level affects every single consumer that uses the internet,” said state
Sen. Barbara
L’Italien (DAndover), who filed the bill. “We are trying to figure out where we can preserve free and open internet in the state.”
If the bill is passed, internet providers would be prohibited from blocking or slowing down traffic to certain websites, and couldn’t charge more for certain types of content. Other states, including Washington, have put forward similar bills in the wake of the FCC ruling.
“Free and open internet is the foundation of communication for our society. We should not be curtailing free and open access,” L’Italien said. “What we tried to do is require that if you are providing said service in the state, you would still need to abide by net neutrality rules.”
The FCC voted last week to repeal Obama-era net neutrality regulations, saying they were overburdensome and limited investment. Supporters of the rules say without them, internet providers will be free to block access to competitors’ services, or force companies to pay more for faster speeds.
Under L’Italien’s bill, any internet provider that serves customers in the Bay State would be subject to restrictions.
The measure will likely face an uphill battle. In its order last week, the FCC included a local pre-emption clause, which bars states from introducing their own net neutrality rules.
But Attorney General Maura Healey has joined more than a dozen attorneys general from across the country in vowing to sue to overturn the commission’s vote.
Both U.S. Sen. Elizabeth Warren and U.S. Sen. Edward Markey have said they will file bills to put net neutrality into law.