Montana vs. Net Neutrality
- Jan 23, 2018
- 2 min read
Well what do you know a group of eight people at the FCC did not have the support from the people to make the internet more costly by passing the new implemented net neutrality law. Politicians in Montana are now standing up to create their own new rules and not have companies like AT&T, Verizon, Sprint, and T-Mobile create an internet where you have to pay extra to play extra.
While service provider companies may not be a fan of net neutrality. Big Fortune 500 companies like Facebook Inc. and Alphabet Inc. are supporting this fight for net neutrality, and politicians like Governor Steve Bullock are listening to the people and taking action. Bullock signed an executive order requiring state contract recipients to adhere to so-called net neutrality, which barred internet service providers from blocking or throttling traffic or offering paid fast lanes, also known as paid
prioritization.
“There has been a lot of talk around the country about how to respond to the recent decision by Federal Communications Commission to repeal net neutrality rules, which keep the internet free and open. It’s time to actually do something about it,” Bullock said in a statement. “This is a simple step states can take to preserve and protect net neutrality. We can’t wait for folks in Washington DC to come to their senses and reinstate these rules.”
Last week, a group of 21 US state attorneys general and the District of Columbia, filed legal papers to challenge the FCC’s decision to do away with net neutrality while Democrats said they needed just one more vote in the Senate to repeal the FCC ruling.
Unfortunately this news does not have a happy ending. While there are politicians doing there best to pass this through. There are bigger blockades to worry about.
Republicans control both chambers of Congress, so even if Democrats could win a Senate majority, a repeal would also require winning a vote in the House of Representatives and would then still be subject to a likely veto by President Donald Trump. Trump, a Republican, backed the FCC action and overturning a presidential veto requires a two-thirds vote in both chambers.
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