Gov Walker (I-AK) rejects lawmakers’ request for executive order on net neutrality

Gov Bill Walker (I-AK) said in a letter to Alaska lawmakers that he would not issue an executive order to implement network neutrality rules for internet service providers that contract with state agencies. Lawmakers tried in the last legislative session to preserve such rules at the state level, as the repeal of such rules goes into effect federally, but the effort failed. In February, a bipartisan group of 24 lawmakers signed a letter to Gov Walker asking him to issue an order that would prohibit "all state agencies from entering into internet service contracts with providers that violate the principles of net neutrality with respect to any consumer in the state." In a June 20 letter to those lawmakers, Gov Walker declined. "Like you, I have been concerned with the actions taken by the Federal Communication Commission regarding the repeal of net neutrality," Walker said. "However, after looking at the legal hurdles the State faces by being in conflict with a program that very likely federally preempts states' laws, and considering circumstances that already exist within Alaska, I am taking some alternative steps to address this issue."