Washington becomes first state to pass net neutrality protections into law

Washington becomes first state to pass net neutrality protections into law At the state level, bill essentially reinstates rules the Federal Communications Commission rolled back earlier this year

Gov. Jay Inslee signs net neutrality protections into law Monday, March 5, 2018 in Olympia. (Legislative Support Services photo)

Three months after state leaders vowed to safeguard net neutrality despite rollbacks by the Federal Communications Commission, Gov. Jay Inslee has signed a bill to protect an open internet in Washington. With his signature, Washington became the first state in the nation to pass a law to protect net neutrality. In 2015, the FCC created rules against blocking legal content, throttling traffic and using paid prioritization for some traffic. The FCC reversed these net neutrality rules earlier this year. Washington’s new law, House Bill 2282, protects those net neutrality rules at the state level, ensuring that internet providers cannot advantageously manipulate internet speeds and access to content. “Today we make history: Washington will be the first state in the nation

to preserve the open internet,” Inslee said during today’s bill signing ceremony. “We’ve seen the power of an open internet. It allows a student in Washington to connect with researchers all around the world — or a small business to compete in the global marketplace. It’s allowed the free flow of information and ideas in one of the greatest demonstrations of free speech in our history.”