California pledged to protect net neutrality — the showdown is here

When the Federal Communications Commission voted in 2017 to roll back net neutrality protections, state Democratic leaders pledged to wage a fight with the Trump administration to preserve fair and open access to the internet in California. Now two bills facing final approval in the Assembly and Senate this week have become a proxy battle in the larger national fight to reshape the internet. The ambitious proposals would establish the strongest net neutrality rules in the nation, safeguards that advocates say would be stronger than those repealed by the FCC. One would prevent internet service providers from blocking or slowing down websites and video streams, or charging websites fees for faster speeds. The other would deny public contracts to companies that fail to follow the new state regulations.

Calls in support of the legislation intensified after news broke that Santa Clara County firefighters were hindered by inadequate internet service as they helped battle the massive Mendocino Complex fire in July. But pushing the bills through to passage hasn’t been as easy as proponents had hoped in a state controlled by Democrats with a distaste for Trump administration policies. The powerful tech industry has sunk millions into killing the state’s net neutrality efforts, while supporters have responded in kind with aggressive public advocacy campaigns.