Washington Becomes First State to Pass Its Own Net Neutrality Law in Defiance of FCC

Tuesday March 6, 2018 5:19 AM PST by Mitchel Broussard
Washington this week became the first state to pass a new law -- House Bill 2282 -- that restores and protects certain net neutrality rules, after the Federal Communications Commission voted 3-2 in favor of repealing net neutrality nationwide late last year. Washington state's new rules were signed into law by Governor Jay Inslee yesterday, and prevent internet service providers from blocking and slowing down content online (via The New York Times).

Many multi-state lawsuits began cropping up following the net neutrality vote in December, but this marks the first time that a state has directly gone against the FCC and enacted its own regulations on how ISPs are regulated within the state. Now, the Washington state law will go into effect starting June 6, 2018, barring ISPs from blocking websites, throttling speeds, or charging its customers more for faster speeds on select sites "in a way that benefits the broadband company and partner websites."



These actions are now technically legal under the repeal of net neutrality by the FCC, made official by its entry into the Federal Register in February and becoming nationwide law itself April 23, 2018. The law signed by Inslee is said to "immediately" put back into place consumer protections provided by net neutrality rules, and was "passed with broad bipartisan support in the state legislature."
“Today we make history: Washington will be the first state in the nation to preserve the open internet,” Inslee said during today’s bill signing ceremony. “We’ve seen the power of an open internet. It allows a student in Washington to connect with researchers all around the world — or a small business to compete in the global marketplace. It’s allowed the free flow of information and ideas in one of the greatest demonstrations of free speech in our history.”
Besides Washington state, lawsuits and movements against the FCC have appeared in nearly two dozen states, with bills in each appearing similar to the one signed by Governor Inslee this week. Washington state's law -- and any others that appear in the future -- are expected to end up in court, because part of the FCC's rules passed under the repeal of net neutrality explicitly mentioned that states could not create their own rules.

Various tech companies also joined together in a lawsuit against the FCC filed on Monday, with Etsy, Foursquare, and Kickstarter among the companies banning together to fight the net neutrality repeal. Before the 3-2 vote in December, Apple was vocal against the potential repeal of net neutrality, emphasizing its stance in a letter last August that urged the FCC not to roll back the rules. Apple said this repeal could risk "fundamentally altering the internet as we know it today—to the detriment of consumers, competition, and innovation."

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Tag: net neutrality
81 comments


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iModFrenzy
7 months ago
Now we just need the rest of the United States
Rating: 29 Votes
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AustinIllini
7 months ago
Thank God some states have functional governments
Rating: 23 Votes
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TMRJIJ
7 months ago

Great, now the state can do whatever they want with our network instead of our ISP's, what an improvement. o_O

Let’s see:
ISPs that screws us over repeatedly.
OR
States that sometimes screws us over until they realize that we won’t vote for them next time.

Go Washington state
Rating: 13 Votes
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CWallace
7 months ago

Great, now the state can do whatever they want with our network instead of our ISP's, what an improvement. o_O


I have more influence as a voting citizen of Washington State than I do as a customer of Comcast so if it is one or the other, I'll take the State having the authority. :D

And yes, I expect the FCC's clause that States cannot amend the rules will go down in flames at both the Western Washington District Court and 9th Circuit Court of Appeals. The Supremes could be a wild-card, but considering the majority like to call themselves Constitutionalists, that should influence them to vote against the FCC, as well.
Rating: 9 Votes
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b0nd18t
7 months ago
I just tweeted at my states governor to ask if he plans to do the same. If you want it for your state doesn’t hurt to go straight to the top.
Rating: 9 Votes
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simonmet
7 months ago

Yes you would have the slacker everyone loves everyone where diversity is welcome and respected as long as you don’t think in opposition neo-hippie-like country that is both dead broke from social programs and financial redistribution, rife with criminals and scum milking the systems, and ready to be invaded at any time, and then on the other side you would have a strong working America.


Aren’t wealth and health and generally better in the Democrat states?
[doublepost=1520350335][/doublepost]

It’s not just that we are witnessing the decline of civilization on a daily basis, but that statements like that punctuate it even more. If I have to explain it more than that you really aren’t going to get it.


You’re right. I don’t think I am.
Rating: 7 Votes
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Huntn
7 months ago
Bravo Washington State! Anti-Net neutrality is such a corporate profit, anti-citizen driven idea it would take a very specific mindset to foist this idea at the Federal level. Are there any surprises this standard (no net neutrality) came from the Trump Administration with all of the worst of its big business cronies? :oops:
Rating: 6 Votes
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barkomatic
7 months ago
This is great to read and is the strongest repudiation yet of the direction the FCC is taking. I hope it stands up in court and I don't see how the FCC thinks it has the authority to make a rule that states can't pass their own regulations--though I'm no lawyer.

At the least, maybe this will scare the ISP from making any anti-consumer moves for awhile like we all know they are dying to do.
Rating: 5 Votes
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mytdave
7 months ago
Still amazed at how many stupid Americans vote for MORE government regulation. Defies all logic. The Internet grew exponentially and flourished PRECISELY because there is/was little or no regulation.

Why the hell would anyone, except Socialist Democrats, want to destroy that? Oh wait, I just answered my own question.
Rating: 5 Votes
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cfurlin
7 months ago

California ranks 43rd in fiscal condition, and its fiscal solvency is questionable. New Jersey ranks last and New York is 40th. Whereas the top 10 states are primarily Republican.

That’s what happens when you freely hand out money to anyone with a situation more difficult than a hangnail.
Rating: 4 Votes
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