The FCC voted 3-2 to strip away existing net neutrality rules that prevent ISPs from abusing their power, but one possible workaround is to impose legislation on the state level. That is what California is trying do with a new bill.
In a 21-12 vote, the California State Senate approved SB-460, a bill proposed by Sen. Kevin de León (D-Los Angeles) that would prohibit home and wireless service providers from "blocking lawful content, applications, services, or non-harmful devices," Arstechnica reports.
The bill would also make illegal "paid prioritization, or providing preferential treatment of some internet traffic to any internet customer," and would impose a rule against interfering with "a customer's ability to select, access, and use broadband internet access service or lawful Internet content, applications, services, or devices of the customer's choice, or an edge provider's ability to make lawful content, applications, services, or devices available to a customer."
In addition, the bill includes language to prohibit misleading marketing practices that misrepresent an ISP treats internet traffic and content that gets delivered to customers.
ISPs that violate the rules would face fines and injunctions that are currently outlined in California's existing consumer protection laws. It would be as if the FCC never overturned net neutrality rules in the first place, for the most part.
The bill's next stop is the State Assembly, where Democrats have a 53-25 majority over Republicans.
