There is debate surrounding net neutrality at the moment, where the FCC has basically repealed the net neutrality rules that were implemented previously. What this means is that now internet providers/carriers are allowed to change how their bandwidth is used, where companies who pay more might get more bandwidth than those who don’t.Obviously this isn’t “neutral”, which is why some are fighting against it, and the good news is that for those living in Montana, you guys are basically living in the first state to employ its own net neutrality rules. This was confirmed by Montana Governor Steve Bullock who signed an executive order that will require all ISPs with a Montana government contract to honor the principles of net neutrality.
As Engadget notes, considering that pretty much all the major providers do have government contracts, this means that major US carriers like AT&T, Verizon, Sprint, and T-Mobile will have to play by net neutrality’s rules, at least as far as Montana is concerned. According to Bullock, “This is a simple step. We can’t wait for folks in Washington DC to come to their senses and reinstate these [neutrality] rules.”
Whether or not other states will follow suit remains to be seen, but for now those who are proponents of net neutrality will probably be pleased by this development.
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