Seeking to restore federal protections that governed Internet use, a key state Senate panel on Thursday endorsed legislation intended to ensure that Californians have free and open access to the Internet.
The Senate Appropriations Committee voted 5-2 to send SB 460 to the Senate floor, but only after its author, Sen. Kevin de Leon, pledged to make a significant change on who would oversee Internet service providers and guarantee so-called “net neutrality” rules in California.
“A number of members have expressed concerns about this bill, specifically regarding the designation of the CPUC as the lead oversight enforcement entity,” Appropriations Committee Chairman Sen. Ricardo Lara said of the California Public Utilities Commission.
In hearings over the last two weeks, both Democrats and Republicans complained that regulations at the CPUC can take years to implement and questioned whether the commission has the expertise or authority to tackle Internet oversight.
Lara said the bill will be amended to remove the CPUC and instead give the state attorney general, district attorneys and city attorneys the ability enforce net neutrality — rules overturned in December by the Federal Communications Commission that banned Internet providers from blocking or slowing down websites.
And state agencies will be banned from contracting with any Internet provider that violates net neutrality rules, Lara said.
Republican Sen. Jim Nielsen, who has said California ought to stay out of federal rulemaking decisions, welcomed the removal of the CPUC from the bill but questioned getting the state attorney general involved.
“I’m not comforted with the attorney general being anointed in that particular capacity,” Nielsen said before he cast his no vote. “This is a very dynamic issue and has many dimensions.”
Sen. Scott Wiener, D-San Francisco, who has his own net neutrality bill, said he and de Leon continue to work with each other on the issue, noting their bills have some overlap but also many differences. He voted for de Leon’s bill.
