San Francisco Chronicle

San Francisco Mayor London Breed has spoken out against the Federal Communications Commission’s attempt to overrule a provision of a city ordinance. In a letter sent on July 2 to House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-CA), Breed wrote that the FCC’s proposal to preempt part of a city law that prevents landlords of multi-unit buildings from blocking tenants from accessing the internet service provider of their choice would hurt residents by reducing competition for communications services.

The California state attorney general is aiming to give more teeth to a new data privacy law before it takes effect in 2020 by expanding his and Californians’ right to sue companies for damages. Under SB561, unveiled by CA Attorney General Xavier Becerra and CA state Sen Hannah-Beth Jackson (D-Santa Barbara), consumers would be able to take a business to court for sharing or selling their personal information without permission.

After a week of legislative setbacks and online acrimony, a bill to restore Obama-era net neutrality protections in California has moved a step forward. Members of the California State Assembly Privacy and Consumer Protection Committee voted 8-2 to move SB822 on to its next stop, the Assembly Appropriations Committee, after more than an hour of comment from internet service providers and community organizations at the Capitol. State Sen.

A California network neutrality bill that advocates hailed as the “gold standard” for Internet protections was “eviscerated,” its chief backer said, in a committee hearing the morning of June 20.  In an 8-0 vote, the state Assembly Communications and Conveyance Committee adopted amendments to SB822, by CA State Sen Scott Wiener (D-San Francisco), which stripped it of provisions that would have given the state the strongest prohibitions against discriminatory treatment of Internet traffic in the country.

[Commentary] It is clear the questions surrounding online consumer protection and data privacy go well beyond Facebook. My committee and the American people need to hear directly from the major players in the tech industry. Consumers deserve a deliberative and exhaustive examination of the digital ecosystem that has become a part of our lives. The House Commerce Committee extends an open invitation to Silicon Valley CEOs. Come and testify before our committee, explain your business model, and enlighten consumers about how your industry affects their daily lives.