It happened in Maryland.  And Maine. Now Assemblyman Mark Leno is going to introduce a net neutrality bill in California.

Assemblyman Mark Leno (D-San Francisco) announced today he will introduce "Net Neutrality" legislation that will preserve the free and open Internet by allowing all users to access the content of their choice.

"The Internet has provided a forum for free speech and open communication, giving a voice for everyone from the largest business with the most expensive website to the individual with a one-person operation," said Assemblyman Mark Leno (D-San Francisco).  "We can't allow those who want to serve as our Internet gatekeepers to discriminate against content and decide for us what we can and cannot view."

The legislation will preserve the Internet as we know it- a driving force of economic innovation, a valuable research tool and a forum of free speech and civic involvement.  Specifically, it will prevent companies that control the internet's infrastructure from discriminating against content based on its source or ownership.

Similar legislation has been introduced in Maryland and Maine, but the sizable force of California's economy is expected to help secure Internet freedom nationwide if the legislation becomes law.  The language of the bill closely resembles a concession made by AT&T in finalizing its merger with BellSouth late last year.  Last month US Senators Byron Dorgan (D-North Dakota) and Olympia Snowe (R-Maine) introduced legislation to preserve network neutrality.  Co-sponsors of this congressional bill include Senators Kerry, Boxer, Harkin, Leahy, Clinton and Obama.

A lot of people assumed that with a Democratic takeover of Congress, net neutrality would be passed quickly and we'd be done with it.  I knew that wasn't true, because a willingness to fight the telcos is not uniform within the Democratic caucus.  Like the telcos, I wrote that our fight had to move to the states so that pressure would continue to build against the telecommunications companies that are in the process of locking down our ability to organize and communicate.

Progressives like Leno now have the capacity to work in a national network with other progressive legislators, and that's a big step forward.  We still have a lot of work to do.