The National Regulatory Research Institute (NRRI) is now tracking states that are still combating the recent repeal of net neutrality laws intended to keep consumers safe from predatory ISP behavior. Specifically, those laws were put in place back in 2015 after meeting the approval of the FCC under the Obama Administration. Among other things, the rules prevented ISPs from prioritizing their own content and restricting or slowing down any competing content, while also restricting policies forcing payment for access or prioritization. With its new maps, the NRRI is tracking two key metrics of the ongoing struggle between the 36 states supporting net neutrality and the repeal of those regulations. No fewer than 122 cities and a few separate counties have also taken a legislative route, according to the NRRI. The most recent map, for now, was updated in May but both maps and data will be updated with some frequency until mid-July via the source link below.
Breaking down the maps, Oregon and Washington are the only two states to have already passed legislation in favor of state-level net neutrality laws. Vermont has both passed legislation and had an executive order enacted on the matter. However, a further 26 states have legislation pending, including states that generally align with the current leading party in D.C. such as Idaho, Kansas, and Nebraska. Montana, on the other hand, has enacted an executive order while Hawaii, New Jersey, New York, and Rhode Island have executive orders and legislation still pending. California has passed its own resolution but firmer legislation is also still underway. In states where executive orders or legislation has passed, those generally require ISPs that operate within the state to follow the rules which were in place prior to the repeal or very close to those rules.
Conversely, a total of 22 states and D.C. have opted to take things a step further and bring suits against the U.S. government and the FCC in an attempt to overturn the repeal. That’s tracked by the second map and comparing the two provides some interesting insights. Not least of all, it shows a clear line which some states are simply not ready to cross yet, having passed their own legislation but not chosen to sue. In the meantime, many in the tech industry have chosen not to remain silent on the matter either. That includes primarily companies that offer services over the internet but which are not offering access, while many companies that work in both spheres have chosen to stay out of the fray or side with the repeal. At any rate, this doesn’t seem as though it’s going to come to an end anytime soon.