Repeal of web rules is blasted
State Senate leader says that if U.S. won’t ensure net neutrality, California will.
SACRAMENTO — California Senate President Pro Tem Kevin de León on Tuesday criticized the Federal Communications Commission’s decision to repeal net neutrality rules, saying that without them there is nothing to stop major telecoms from blocking content or slowing down the internet for consumers.
Speaking in San Jose, De León called the protection of an open, fair and free internet yet another way California will take a stand against President Trump.
“If the Trump administration or Congress cannot or will not protect the consumers of the great state of California, then know this: the state of California will,” he said at a news conference. “We will not stand by and let corporate greed compromise the integrity of your internet.”
De León (D-Los Angeles) has introduced a bill that would make it unlawful for internet providers to block, limit or interfere with customers’ access to services, giving the state attorney general the power to enforce the rules.
It also requires the Public Utilities Commission to establish new net neutrality regulations.
De León, who is running for U.S. Senate, is working to position himself as a leader on the issue.
But he is not the only state lawmaker who has pledged to bring back the net neutrality rules.
In another effort, state Sen. Scott Wiener (D-San Francisco) is working with industry lobbyists and a coalition of tech advocates, including the Electronic Frontier Foundation and the American Civil Liberties Union, to write a new set of rules themselves through separate state legislation.