Net Neutrality Bill Introduced in Maryland
by Matt Stoller, Thu Feb 15, 2007 at 05:05:35 AM EST
Delegate Herman Taylor in Maryland just introduced this bill that opens up the debate pretty dramatically on the nature of the internet. It requires a quarterly report from broadband providers describing the extent of access to broadband, and it includes as a legislative finding the terms of net neutrality from the AT&T merger.
It's a big deal. Net neutrality and universal access are two sides of the same problem, and uniting them in this bill on a state level is a major step forward. Thank you, Delegate Tayler. The telcos are going to fight this, and there will be a hearing later this month in the Economic Matters Committee.
Owning state legislatures has been a secret strategy for corporate elites for years, and our focus on a Federal level and the courts has crippled us in understanding what is really possible when progressives step up on a state level. But that's where change really happens.
UPDATE: The bill is also listed at the Maryland Billhop wiki.
Tags: Democrats, Maryland, net neutrality (all tags)









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