August 2018

When the Federal Communications Commission voted in 2017 to roll back net neutrality protections, state Democratic leaders pledged to wage a fight with the Trump administration to preserve fair and open access to the internet in California. Now two bills facing final approval in the Assembly and Senate this week have become a proxy battle in the larger national fight to reshape the internet. The ambitious proposals would establish the strongest net neutrality rules in the nation, safeguards that advocates say would be stronger than those repealed by the FCC.

The untold story of rural broadband is that over the past seven years, independent broadband networks have proliferated. Today, some of the fastest, most affordable internet in the country can be found in small communities. Despite small customer bases and razor-thin (or non-existent) margins, tenacious broadband providers across the country are proving that especially when unencumbered by competition-stifling legislation, they can bring world-class internet to their communities.