Net Neutrality Bills Advance to Committee After Key 2/3 Procedural Vote

Sacramento –  Today, Senate Bill 822 by Senator Scott Wiener (D- San Francisco) and Senate Bill 460 by Senator Kevin de Leon (D- Los Angeles), which will enact the strongest net neutrality protections in the country, received a required two-thirds procedural vote on the Assembly floor to allow the bills to be heard at the Assembly Communications and Conveyance Committee. 

Last week, SB 822 was withdrawn from the Assembly Appropriations Committee and referred to the Assembly Conveyance and Communications Committee. In order for a policy committee to meet after the July deadline, a 2/3 vote is required. Today the bills received 55 votes, and will now head to the Assembly Communications and Conveyance Committee for a hearing next week.

SB 822 will be heard in committee again due to it having been amended after Senator Wiener and Assemblymember Miguel Santiago, chair of the committee, negotiated restoration of key protections that were removed after the bill was initially heard in the committee in June.

“I want to thank my colleagues for allowing these bills to be heard in committee,” said Senator Wiener. “We are moving closer and closer to enacting the strongest net neutrality protections in the nation. Much work remains to get the bill across the finish line - the telecom and cable companies are doing everything in their power to thwart California’s effort to adopt net neutrality - but we have momentum.”

SB 822 is supported by House Democratic Leader Nancy Pelosi, Attorney General Xavier Becerra, former Obama FCC Chairman Tom Wheeler, and a broad coalition of state leaders, public interest groups, labor organizations, social justice advocates, small businesses, start-ups, internet service providers, California mayors and local governments, and tens of thousands of California residents.

SB 460 Bill text: http://leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/faces/billNavClient.xhtml?bill_id=201720180SB460

SB 822 Bill text: http://leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/faces/billNavClient.xhtml?bill_id=201720180SB822