As the federal U.S. government has given up on consumer protection and corporate oversight, states have filled the void with various degrees of success. That’s been particularly apparent in areas like telecom, where the corruption-fueled death of federal privacy and net neutrality protections have been replicated in a handful of states like California, which passed their own state-level laws.
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Stanford Law professor Barbara van Schewick explains the specifics:
“In July, the National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA), the federal agency that distributes BEAD money, approved California’s BEAD deployment plan. On August 31, it issued the award: $1.42 billion to connect about 270,000 homes and businesses.
Buried in the award’s terms and conditions is a clause known as Condition 50. By signing the award, California would agree not to enforce its affordability, net neutrality, and public-safety protections against any internet service provider (ISP) that receives BEAD money.”
Read full story at Techdirt.