‘Town Crier’ – Briefs From the Region (2) – 10/15/19

Montana spearheads net-neutrality win

On Oct. 1, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Washington, D.C. Circuit upheld a decision that requires state telecom contractors to adhere to net-neutrality. Effectively, this order prohibits internet providers from blocking, slowing down or speeding up access to websites based on their ability to pay for such a boon. “From the beginning we said that if the federal government won’t protect our access to a free and open internet, it would be up to the states,” said Gov. Steve Bullock in a statement praising the court’s decision. “Montana was the first to act, setting off a nationwide movement of executive orders and state laws to protect the open internet,” he added. “The D.C. Circuit confirmed that states can protect their citizens when the federal government fails them.”