Submitted by the office of Kevin Ranker

The Washington state Senate passed bipartisan legislation to safeguard net neutrality.

“Corporations should not control how Washingtonians use the internet or what information they seek. We value free and open access to information,” said Sen. Kevin Ranker, prime sponsor of the Senate net neutrality legislation. “In December 2017, President Trump’s administration reversed rules protecting the internet. Now all states must act, Washington state must act, to protect net neutrality for open, free and accessible internet.”

House Bill 2282 protects Washington consumers from:

· Blocking of lawful content by internet service providers;

· “Throttling,” or slowing down, of lawful content by internet service providers; and

· Favoring of certain content over others by internet service providers due to special deals — paid prioritization.

The bill now heads to the governor’s desk for signature.