It’s not an exaggeration to say the California Assembly holds the future of the internet in its hands next week when it votes on net neutrality legislation that would provide the strongest consumer protections in the nation.
The Federal Communications Commission rollback in December of crucial consumer and business protection leaves California and others states as the only avenues to preserve the internet from control by greedy broadband companies. The state Senate passed the legislation in May, but next week’s vote is expected to be close.
Californians should tell their representatives in the Assembly to pass SB 822, by Sen. Scott Wiener, D-San Francisco, and send it to Gov. Jerry Brown for his signature.
The bill passed the Assembly Communications and Conveyance Committee on Wednesday, setting the stage for the Assembly floor vote. At stake is California internet users’ ability to access and watch material from web sites at an affordable price. Wiener’s legislation would require internet service providers such as Verizon, AT& T and Comcast to treat all web traffic equally.
Tech luminaries such as internet pioneer Vint Cerf and World Wide Web inventor Tim Berners-Lee understand the benefit of an open internet that doesn’t play favorites. So does President Obama’s former FCC chair, Tom Wheeler. They have been strong opponents of allowing broadband providers to charge content providers higher rates in exchange for the fastest internet speeds. Major players, including Netflix and Apple, may be able to foot the cost. But startups likely wouldn’t be able to afford the higher price, slowing, or even halting, the next wave of tech innovation.
Ultimately, its consumers who will pay the price. Without net neutrality, there will be less access at a higher price. Meanwhile, broadband providers will rake in billions.
It’s a bit of a miracle that the bill is still alive. Assemblyman Miguel Santiago, D-Los Angeles, chairman of the Assembly committee that passed it Wednesday, had gutted it in June to such a degree that Wiener could no longer give it his support. But public outcry pressured Santiago into restoring the original language of the bill.
Washington, Oregon and
Vermont have already passed legislation preserving net neutrality. Wiener’s legislation is stronger because it includes rules against the practice of zero-rating, which allows broadband providers to exempt certain traffic from internet users’ data caps. Broadband providers say it helps offer access to low-income users. Wiener is adamant that the practice hurts consumers in the long run because it can lead to the “cable-ization” of the internet, pushing users toward certain websites and services online.
SB 822 could encourage other states to follow California’s lead, perhaps prompting the FCC and the Trump administration to back down from its anti-net neutrality stance. California must not miss this opportunity to protect consumers and businesses and preserve the freedom of the internet.
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