I am re-posting an eMail from Scott Weiner.
In 2015 under President Obama, the Federal Communications Commission enacted regulations to require net neutrality in our country, which protected an open internet and prevented web traffic from being manipulated by internet providers. But these protections were overturned by Donald Trump’s FCC, and now we are in a situation where access to certain websites or applications can be sped up, slowed down, or blocked altogether based on who can pay more money for preferred access. That is not what the internet is about and it is not what our democracy is about.
When the FCC first voted to repeal net neutrality in December 2017, I announced I would be introducing net neutrality protections in California when the legislative session reconvened. The bill I introduced -- Senate Bill 822 -- has been called by CNET “the most comprehensive set of net neutrality protections to date”. Fast Company declared “This California Bill Would Bring Back Net Neutrality with a Vengeance”.
Tom Wheeler, who served as Chair of the FCC under President Obama and authored the 2015 order to establish net neutrality, wrote in a letter with two other former FCC Commissioners:
“SB 822 steps in to protect Californians and their economy by comprehensively restoring the protections put in place in the 2015 net neutrality order”
Scott introducing SB 822 on the first day of the California Legislative session in January
Tomorrow, the Senate Energy, Utilities, and Communications Committee will take up SB 822. At its core, SB 822 stands for the basic proposition that the role of internet service providers (ISPs) is to provide neutral access to the internet, not to pick winners and losers by deciding (based on financial payments or otherwise) which websites or applications will be easy or hard to access, which will have fast or slow access, and which will be blocked entirely. For more details on what the bill does, click here.
SB 822 has an incredible coalition of supporters, including:
As always, it is an honor and privilege to serve you in the Senate, and I thank you for your support.
In 2015 under President Obama, the Federal Communications Commission enacted regulations to require net neutrality in our country, which protected an open internet and prevented web traffic from being manipulated by internet providers. But these protections were overturned by Donald Trump’s FCC, and now we are in a situation where access to certain websites or applications can be sped up, slowed down, or blocked altogether based on who can pay more money for preferred access. That is not what the internet is about and it is not what our democracy is about.
When the FCC first voted to repeal net neutrality in December 2017, I announced I would be introducing net neutrality protections in California when the legislative session reconvened. The bill I introduced -- Senate Bill 822 -- has been called by CNET “the most comprehensive set of net neutrality protections to date”. Fast Company declared “This California Bill Would Bring Back Net Neutrality with a Vengeance”.
Tom Wheeler, who served as Chair of the FCC under President Obama and authored the 2015 order to establish net neutrality, wrote in a letter with two other former FCC Commissioners:
“SB 822 steps in to protect Californians and their economy by comprehensively restoring the protections put in place in the 2015 net neutrality order”
Scott introducing SB 822 on the first day of the California Legislative session in January
Tomorrow, the Senate Energy, Utilities, and Communications Committee will take up SB 822. At its core, SB 822 stands for the basic proposition that the role of internet service providers (ISPs) is to provide neutral access to the internet, not to pick winners and losers by deciding (based on financial payments or otherwise) which websites or applications will be easy or hard to access, which will have fast or slow access, and which will be blocked entirely. For more details on what the bill does, click here.
SB 822 has an incredible coalition of supporters, including:
- Morethan 40 public interest groups, including the Electronic Frontier Foundation, the ACLU, Courage Campaign, CALPIRG, Color of Change, Common Cause, Consumers Union, National Hispanic Media Coalition, Public Knowledge, Greenling Institute, and The Utility Reform Network (TURN)
- Former Federal Communications Commission members Tom Wheeler, Michael Copps, and Gloria Tristani.
- A group of California's leading mayors: San Francisco Mayor Mark Farrell, San Jose Mayor Sam Liccardo, Oakland Mayor Libby Schaaf, Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti, Sacramento Mayor Darrell Steinberg, and Emeryville Mayor John Bauters.
- A coalition of 59 start-ups and internet companies based in California
- The American Sustainable Business Council, a coalition of small businesses that support net neutrality
- 52,828 Californians who signed letters supporting SB 822 and urging its passage.
As always, it is an honor and privilege to serve you in the Senate, and I thank you for your support.