Wisconsin Dems Get Innovative In Effort To Restore Net Neutrality Rules

Wisconsin Democrats in the Legislature are looking to maintain net neutrality in the state. A proposed bill would prevent state contractors from blocking web content or offering faster service to websites that pay a premium.

The Federal Communications Commission repealed the nationwide, Obama-era net neutrality rules in December of last year. At the time of the rollback, the FCC prohibited state and local governments from creating regulations of their own.

Since then, the response from supporters of the rules has been swift. Attorneys general from more than 20 states are suing the FCC in an attempt to block the repeal.

Meanwhile in several states, including Wisconsin, legislators have introduced bills that would enforce old net neutrality rules at the state level. But these proposals risk facing legal challenges.

“The Trump administration has gone out of its way to tie the hand of state legislators from being able to protect something as important as net neutrality,” explained Rep. Jimmy Anderson, D-Fitchburg, who introduced the net neutrality bill affecting state contractors.

Anderson said he thinks his bill could hold up in court and return net neutrality to residents.

But the FCC and net neutrality critics argue creating patchwork regulations across the country would make it difficult for these broadband companies to operate.

Bill Esbeck, executive director of the Wisconsin State Telecommunications Association, the state’s broadband and telecommunications lobby, said any regulation of broadband should be uniform.

“If there were individual states that pursued net neutrality regulations — creating a patchwork of regulations across the company — it would be difficult, if not impossible for those companies to conduct business,” Esbeck said.

Patchwork regulations are already beginning to take shape with Montana becoming the first state to enact old net neutrality rules by executive order Monday. That state’s legislation requires state contractors to follow net neutrality rules.

But in Wisconsin, the road to net neutrality might not be as easy. Anderson said he hasn’t heard of any Republican lawmaker backing his proposal, and without GOP support, the bill is unlikely to go anywhere.

Editor’s Note: This story originally misstated the day Montana’s governor signed his executive order.