US Oregon governor signs Net Neutrality law in defiance of federal ban

Governor Kate Brown of Oregon state on the US west Pacific coast said on Monday that she has signed the Net Neutrality bill into law, which bans Internet operators from offering paid prioritisation services to customers.

The new law makes it illegal for the state's public agencies to work with Internet Service Providers (ISPs) that take part in discriminatory activities such as paid prioritisation and blocking legal content online, or better known as "fast lanes" for companies that pay to have their services delivered to customers at greater speeds.

"I'm very proud to sign Oregon' s #NetNeutrality bill into law today. It's very important that the Internet remains open and accessible for everyone," Brown twitted Monday.

The law aims to help guarantee that Oregon residents get the net neutrality protections that the US Federal Communications Commission (FCC) killed in December of last year, reports Xinhua.

The Republican-led FCC voted to overturn the agency's 2015 Open Internet Order that the ISPs should enable access to all content and applications regardless of the source and without favouring or blocking particular products or websites.

Oregon becomes one of the latest US states, including New Jersey and New York that had already challenged the FCC rules, which are set to take effect April 23.

--IANS

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