Virginia house panel kills 'net neutrality' bill

A bill to prohibit internet service providers from prioritizing or blocking certain websites based on content or hosting platform was killed Feb 6 in a Virginia House subcommittee. The House Commerce and Labor subcommittee voted 5-0 against the bill, with one abstention. VA Delegate Greg Habeeb (R-Salem) chair of the subcommittee, argued that the bill would prompt broadband providers to pull out of Virginia. "We are so desperate in parts of the area that I represent to get broadband, that any barrier to entry in that market that we impose is a risk to prevent them from coming," Habeeb said. "I can't imagine supporting a bill that may lead to a broadband provider not considering entering the Craig County market, for example."