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Ajit Pai Calls California's Net Neutrality Rules 'Illegal' (arstechnica.com)
On Friday, FCC Chairman Ajit Pai called California's net neutrality bill "illegal," saying it "poses a risk to the rest of the country." The bill recently passed California's state Assembly and now awaits the signature of Governor Jerry Brown.
In response to Pai's speech, Scott Wiener, California's Senator who authored the bill, said they are "necessary and legal because Chairman Pai abdicated his responsibility to ensure an open internet." "Unlike Pai's FCC, California isn't run by the big telecom and cable companies," Wiener also said. "Pai can take whatever potshots at California he wants. The reality is that California is the world's innovation capital, and unlike the crony capitalism promoted by the Trump administration, California understands exactly what it takes to foster an open innovation economy with a level playing field." Ars Technica reports: Pai targeted the California rules in a speech at the Maine Heritage Policy Center. Pai derided what he called "nanny-state California legislators," and said: "The broader problem is that California's micromanagement poses a risk to the rest of the country. After all, broadband is an interstate service; Internet traffic doesn't recognize state lines. It follows that only the federal government can set regulatory policy in this area. For if individual states like California regulate the Internet, this will directly impact citizens in other states. Among other reasons, this is why efforts like California's are illegal. In fact, just last week, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Eighth Circuit reaffirmed the well-established law that state regulation of information services is preempted by federal law. Last December, the FCC made clear that broadband is just such an information service."
In response to Pai's speech, Scott Wiener, California's Senator who authored the bill, said they are "necessary and legal because Chairman Pai abdicated his responsibility to ensure an open internet." "Unlike Pai's FCC, California isn't run by the big telecom and cable companies," Wiener also said. "Pai can take whatever potshots at California he wants. The reality is that California is the world's innovation capital, and unlike the crony capitalism promoted by the Trump administration, California understands exactly what it takes to foster an open innovation economy with a level playing field." Ars Technica reports: Pai targeted the California rules in a speech at the Maine Heritage Policy Center. Pai derided what he called "nanny-state California legislators," and said: "The broader problem is that California's micromanagement poses a risk to the rest of the country. After all, broadband is an interstate service; Internet traffic doesn't recognize state lines. It follows that only the federal government can set regulatory policy in this area. For if individual states like California regulate the Internet, this will directly impact citizens in other states. Among other reasons, this is why efforts like California's are illegal. In fact, just last week, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Eighth Circuit reaffirmed the well-established law that state regulation of information services is preempted by federal law. Last December, the FCC made clear that broadband is just such an information service."
Laws he doesn't like are "illegal." It starts at the top, Pai is simply taking a cue from the head of the executive branch.
Next up, news outlets he doesn't like are declared "fake."
Lose = not win
can the States preempt the authority of the FCC?
Have you read the bill? For the FCC to be granted standing as an injured party, they'd have to prove that THEY have authority over ISP contracts in Cali.
Also, this will NEVER make it to the SC, no matter which way it goes.
Populus vult decipi, ergo decipiatur...
"Force shits upon Reason's back." - Poor Richard's Almanac
They call him the shill but ignore that every democrat he is defending is on corporate payroll as well.
Yeah I don't agree with Pai on this, but interstate commerce does make it a federal issue
I listen to both RIAA and non-RIAA stuff if I like the music, tangential business/politics nonwithstanding.
It's one thing to indicate that you do not agree and pass ruling, it is entirely a different thing to show the level of contempt Pai has had for the public at large. Considering past FCC Chairs, Pai has been the most antagonistic to the public since the FCC's inception.
Turns out that a "healthy economy" does not equate with better conditions for voters.
The biggest advocates of states' rights in the past were with slave holding states and later segregationist states, which were Democrat at the time. Political parties, of course, change over time. And for a long time the Democrats were the opposition of the hated Republicans that eliminated slavery. This lasted a long time until the Democrats were the driving force behind the civili rights act, at which point most leading Democrats left the party en masse, often to join the Republicans and also to try and form the short-lived Dixiecrats. This was exploited by Richard Nixon and Barry Goldwater in their "southern strategies" to woo white voters away from the Democrats.
Which is why I think it's absolutely absurd that some ex-segregationists proudly proclaimed to be in the party of Lincoln, when the parties today have so little resemblance to those in the past.
As a person from the south, I sure am happy we have California to get something like this done. Thank you Cali!!!