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Earlier this week, a member of the Texas state legislature introduced a bill that would criminalize the fact that a telecommunications company, such as Verizon or AT & T, would smother Internet services in areas declared catastrophic. , according to KUT News.
This Texas bill, HB 1426, goes no further in codifying the rules of neutrality of the Internet, prohibiting only operators to limit Internet access in disaster areas. It does not prohibit behaviors such as limitation in any other scenario.
More than 100 other internet-neutral bills have been tabled at the state level following the Federal Communications Commission's decision to remove protections in 2017. Republican commissioners, like President Ajit Pai, argued that even in the absence of Title II protection or "utility" protection, carriers would not choose to strangle or block Internet access across the country .
"The fact that it is now bubbling at the state level is a good sign," said Evan Greer, deputy director of Fight for the Future. "But in reality, we need the FCC to do its job and make sure these companies do not behave in ways that put the public at risk."
Last week, the US Court of Appeals for DC heard arguments from the FCC and several petitioners who argued that the organization's repeal of net neutrality rules was illegal in several respects. Some seemed more convincing than others, it seemed, to the judge. However, the public safety argument that goes in the same direction as this Texas bill was the one that seemed to be the most important.
One petitioner argued that, because of the FCC's repeal, Verizon was able to legally slow the speed of Santa Clara County Fire Department devices in California and make service delivery more difficult. emergency firefighters. Due to the repeal, the FCC would have no jurisdiction to sue Verizon for this behavior.
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