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The Democrat-controlled California Senate voted 27-12 to pass
the bill, known as SB 822, with just hours left in the
legislative session. The measure was approved by their
colleagues in the state Assembly one day earlier.
Governor Jerry Brown, also a Democrat, has not yet said if he
would sign the bill into law. He has 30 days to act but does not
typically signal his intentions before legislation lands on his
desk.
Members of the California Assembly voted 58-17 to send the bill
to their colleagues in the state Senate, who have until midnight
to pass so-called SB 822 on the final day of the legislative
session or wait until next year.
If the measure passes both chambers of the Democrat-controlled
state legislature it would still require approval from Governor
Jerry Brown, a Democrat, who has not said if he would sign it
into law.
"We did it, we passed the strongest net neutrality standards in
the nation," Democrat Scott Wiener, the bill's author, said in a
written statement issued after the vote. "The internet is at the
heart of 21st century life - our economy, our public safety and
health systems, and our democracy."
Supporters of California's proposed regulations contend that net
neutrality rules would bar major internet providers from
blocking, slowing down or giving preferential access to online
content.
Critics say the restrictions limit internet providers' ability
to recoup the costs of network improvements and lead them to
curb investment.
In June, the FCC under President Donald Trump repealed rules
adopted during the Obama administration that barred internet
service providers from blocking content or charging more for
access, a move intended to establish a more level playing field
or "net neutrality."
State attorneys general and the District of Columbia asked a
federal appeals court earlier this month to reinstate the Obama
regulations.
They were joined in that action a week later by a coalition of
trade groups representing companies including Alphabet Inc,
Facebook Inc and Amazon.com Inc.
The U.S. Senate voted in May to keep the Obama-era internet
rules but the measure is unlikely to be approved by the House of
Representatives or the White House.
(Reporting by Dan Whitcomb; Editing by Kim Coghill)
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