Federal net neutrality regulations went away Monday, but a new law in Washington keeps the rules in place in the Evergreen State.
The Federal Communications Commission’s decision last year to end certain rules designed to guarantee equal access to the internet was greeted by outrage from some tech companies, which service providers attempted to counter with assurances that nothing would change other than the unnecessary burdens of federal regulations.
A lawsuit from Washington and 21 other states seeks to block the FCC’s decision, and Congress is considering legislation that would put the old rules into federal statutes. The Senate has passed a net neutrality bill, but the House hasn’t yet.
The Washington Legislature passed a bipartisan measure, with Governor Jay Inslee signing the nation’s first state net neutrality law in March, and it took effect last week. Oregon passed its own law and California is debating one, while governors in some other states have taken executive action to set up similar rules.
Net neutrality essentially says internet service providers can’t play favorites by providing slower speeds for some websites and faster speeds for others, which would have the effect of giving companies operating those faster websites an advantage. It also means they can’t block lawful sites or slow down lawful internet traffic.
Congress would have to act by later this month to block the FCC decision with a law, but Republicans could delay a vote on the Senate bill until that deadline passes.
The state lawsuits were consolidated and are in front of the U.S. Court of Appeals in Washington, D.C., but haven’t been scheduled for a hearing. (Spokesman-Review)
