New telecommunications bill passed

After much deliberation, the new telecommunications bill was passed by the House Energy and Commerce Committee yesterday. The bill contains important provisions regarding regulation for pay-TV services. According to an article in the San Francisco Chronicle, "if the legislation becomes law, AT&T and Verizon will be allowed to gain a statewide license to offer television service, bypassing the current regulation for cable operators that requires them to obtain such access by negotiating with individual cities and counties."

Although the bill itself passed, an amendment to the bill that would have helped cement net neutrality was rejected. To read more about the amendment, you can read House Committee Rejects Net Neutrality Amendment.