California’s net neutrality bill could set a national standard

If the California network neutrality bill passes through Assembly, the state’s size and influence on the market might make it the new broadband standard nationwide. The bill, SB 822, is one of the most comprehensive measures any state has put forward in the six months following the FCC’s vote to roll back the original Obama-era regulations. If it passes, it would be the third state to enact net neutrality rules and the first to prohibit some zero-rating programs. Marc Martins, a telecommunications lawyer for Perkins Coie, said that if it passes, the bill could help incentivize other states to draft similar legislation. “California is a massive market,” Martins said. “You start to approach a critical mass where broadband providers can’t ignore net neutrality as a policy matter. They’re not going to stay out of the California market or Washington or any other state that adopts these rules.”