The fight to preserve net neutrality is far from over. The FCC voted last month to end it, but still has to submit its new rule to the Office of Management and Budget and print it in the Federal Register. As soon as that happens, the clock starts ticking on the vote Senate Democrats are forcing to overturn it. Democrats have recruited a Republican, Sen. Susan Collins (ME) to their side on this, and there is already tremendous constituent pressure on all senators to keep the internet open. That might mean the FCC holds off on the final rule-making, trying to push this inevitable vote back.
In the meantime, though, state legislatures are moving forward, knowing a popular and important issue when they see it.
Lawmakers in at least six states, including California and New York, have introduced bills in recent weeks that would forbid internet providers to block or slow down sites or online services. Legislators in several other states, including North Carolina and Illinois, are weighing similar action. […]
By passing their own law, the state lawmakers say, they would ensure that consumers would find the content of the choice, maintain a diversity of voices online and protect businesses from having to pay fees to reach users. And they might even have an effect beyond their states. California’s strict auto emissions standards, for example, have been followed by a dozen other states, giving California major sway over the auto industry.
"There tends to be a follow-on effect, particularly when something happens in a big state like California," said Harold Feld, a senior vice president at nonprofit consumer group, Public Knowledge, which supports net neutrality efforts by the states.
One of those states is Nebraska, so we're not just talking blue America, here. Hating on Comcast, it seems, is a totally nonpartisan thing.
There's a very real possibility that we can beat Trump's FCC in Congress. We've got nothing but time and a very, very fired up grassroots. We can beat him on net neutrality in the coming months, then beat him at the ballot box in November.
Trump's FCC and Big Cable are trying to destroy net neutrality—but we can still stop them. Tell Congress to oppose Trump FCC's plan to destroy net neutrality and the open internet.