Update: a single Democrat could ruin our best chance at net neutrality in California

I know its late but I wanted to pass along this committee report, which just went public.

It confirms what we warned earlier today, that California Assemblymember Miguel Santiago (who counts AT&T as a top donor) has rejected a proposal to join two net neutrality bills, and has instead introduced terrible amendments that gut key protections from SB 822, which is widely considered to be the best state level net neutrality bill in the United States.

Despite thousands of phone calls from constituents, and letters from Leader Nancy Pelosi and Rep Anna Eschoo, Chairman Santiago has called for amendments to SB 822 that:

• Allow ISPs to charge websites and small businesses “access fees” just to reach their customers, and block any website or service that doesn’t pay the fee.
• Allows ISPs to circumvent net neutrality protections at the point where data enters the network. Thus, instead of blocking a website as it is transported over the ISP’s network, the ISP can just block it as it enters the ISP’s network.
• Allows ISPs to throttle entire classes of applications, (e.g. all online gaming or all online voice calls). Remember that AT&T was previously busted blocking iMessage.
• Allows ISPs to Zero-rate their own content, ie AT&T can incentivize you to watch CNN, which they now own, or Comcast can make it free for you to go to NBC’s website while making you use your data to get your news elsewhere.
• Allows ISPs to charge services fees in exchange for zero-rating them, giving large corporations a huge unfair advantage over startups and small businesses.

If Assemblyman Santiago does not change course, he will become the first Democrat to actively help the Trump administration dismantle net neutrality protections that are essential for a free and open Internet.

The hearing is expected to happen early tomorrow. All eyes should be on California.

Contact Miguel Santiago, the Chairman of the Communications and Conveyance Committee, and tell him to stop trying to gut net neutrality and pass SB 822 as written, without loopholes.

Capitol office: (916) 319–2053
Campaign office: (213) 538–8385
District office: (213) 620–4646
Twitter: @santiagoAD53

Or go here and enter your phone number to get instantly connected:https://www.battleforthenet.com/call/california