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It seems: Montana becomes first state to implement net neutrality after FCC repeal.
Montana Gov. Steve Bullock (D) signed an executive order on Monday requiring internet service providers with state contracts to abide by net neutrality principles.
The order makes his state the first to push back on the Federal Communications Commission's decision to repeal the open internet rules last month.
[...] The order says that in order to receive a contract with the state government, internet service providers must not engage in blocking or throttling web content or create internet fast lanes. Those practices were all banned under the Obama-era 2015 net neutrality order.
The Republican FCC voted to dismantle those rules in December.
The FCC's repeal includes a ban on states implementing their own net neutrality rules, but Democratic-controlled legislatures around the country are eager to challenge that provision.
[...] "When the FCC repealed its net neutrality rules, it said consumers should choose," Bullock said in his statement. "The State of Montana is one of the biggest consumers of internet services in our state. Today we're making our choice clear: we want net neutrality."
We may end up with many different state net neutrality laws for ISPs to comply with.
(Score: 2) by frojack on Tuesday January 23 2018, @08:06AM (4 children)
Well, Montana better find some bigger compatriots, because big data and big media can afford to just write Montana off in it's entirety.
Five or eight states tips the scales.
No, you are mistaken. I've always had this sig.
(Score: 1, Informative) by Anonymous Coward on Tuesday January 23 2018, @01:38PM (1 child)
Net neutrality is about the connections, not the endpoints (where the data and the media sit, whether big or small).
(Score: 2) by frojack on Tuesday January 23 2018, @07:02PM
Exactly, AC, now carry on your thought experiment just a little further.
Big data says: I see your silly little rules, but forget that nonsense, here's your netflix feed at the data rate we want to give it, pay up, or we cut you off, and to hell with your 500 thousand subscribers. Keep your chump change.
Will they do the same for a 10 state block with similar laws?
No, you are mistaken. I've always had this sig.
(Score: 2) by DannyB on Tuesday January 23 2018, @02:42PM (1 child)
Big Data and Big Media would be the ones IN FAVOR of net neutrality. They need good connections and good pipes to get their data and media around the network. It hurts them if networks create choke points, strangleholds, troll bridges and unfair discrimination of traffic.
The lower I set my standards the more accomplishments I have.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Tuesday January 23 2018, @05:24PM
Small-to-Medium Data and Media should be in favor of Net Neutrality, but to properly Big data/media it's an acceptable cost of doing business. They can afford to pay the protection money while their would-be-competitors cannot, giving them an effective monopoly.
Or at least that's the best rationalization I've heard as to why most of the big media people were relatively quiet come vote time.