Federal Government Information Technology

Washington will keep net neutrality in state if FCC won't for the nation, Inslee says

The Spokesman-Review: OLYMPIA – Washington will enforce its own version of net neutrality if the Federal Communications Commission votes Thursday to change national rules, Gov. Jay Inslee said Wednesday. Standing with a bipartisan group of lawmakers, tech executives and state Attorney General Bob Ferguson, Inslee said internet service providers that restrict access, block content or charge varying rates to different customers could find themselves facing sanctions from the state. “There are some things worth fighting for,” Inslee said. “This is a free-speech issue as well as a business development issue.” The FCC is scheduled to consider changes to the 2015 net neutrality rules supported by the Obama administration. The changes would allow ISPs more authority to vary their rates based on customer size, put some customers on slower service, charge for the use of certain applications or allow corporations to block content. Critics of the current rules say they hurt investment in internet infrastructure, amount to government interference in business, and are unnecessary because phone and cable companies already say they support an open internet. If the commission approves the current draft rules, or something close to them, Washington will try to keep ISPs that offer service inside its borders from changing, Inslee said.

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