New York Governor Promises Net Neutrality Legislation In 2020

Last week, New York Governor Andrew Cuomo called for a state net neutrality law as part of his 2020 legislative agenda, joining states like California in proposing a law to ensure his state's internet users have access to a free and open internet. CNET reports: Cuomo's plan comes two years after the Federal Communications Commission repealed Obama-era net neutrality protections, which ensured that broadband companies couldn't block or slow down access to the internet or favor their own content or services over a competitor's. "A free and open internet is one of the great equalizers -- allowing every person the same access to information and helping protect freedom of speech," Cuomo said in a statement. He said his proposed legislation would ensure that "big corporations can't control what information we access or stymie smaller competitors."

After the federal rules were repealed in late 2017, Cuomo was among several governors who issued an executive order barring state agencies from signing contracts with internet service providers that don't practice net neutrality. The law Cuomo is proposing would go beyond the executive order and apply to any internet service provider offering services in the state. Specifically, it would require internet service providers to disclose how they manage internet traffic and certify that they comply with New York's net neutrality rules. If companies break the rules, they could be fined by the state and also sued by consumers. The proposed New York state law would also outlaw so-called "zero-rating" -- a practice that lets broadband companies exclude usage of certain apps and services from customers' monthly data allotments, while other apps and services are counted.

Read more of this story at Slashdot.