Minn. Net Neutrality, Social Media Proposals Clear Senate

State senators narrowly approved Minnesota open internet rules Wednesday night. The Senate voted 34-32 in favor of a conference committee agreement on a Commerce omnibus (SF-4097), including language on net neutrality and transparency requirements for social media. It next needs a vote from the House, which convenes Friday. The legislature is set to adjourn Monday. Other than for reasonable network management, the bill would bar ISPs from engaging in “blocking lawful content, applications, services, or nonharmful devices,” paid prioritization or “unreasonably interfering with or unreasonably disadvantaging: (i) a customer's ability to select, access, and use broadband Internet service or lawful Internet content, applications, services, or devices of the customer's choice; or (ii) an edge provider's ability to provide lawful Internet content, applications, services, or devices to a customer.” Also, the state bill would ban “engaging in deceptive or misleading marketing practices that misrepresent the treatment of Internet traffic or content” and zero rating “in exchange for consideration, monetary or otherwise, from a third party” or zero rating some internet content in a category but not the entire category. It would be enforced by the state commerce department. The social media section would require platforms to disclose information about algorithms to users, including how they assess users’ perceptions of content quality. The net neutrality and social media rules would take effect July 1, 2025. Minnesota legislators are also weighing a proposed comprehensive privacy law and controversial broadband labor requirements (see 2405070043). Also Wednesday, the Senate voted 36-31 to pass an anti-junk fees bill (HB-3438) that CTIA had opposed for including the wireless industry. The House passed the bill, as negotiated by a conference committee, in a 76-57 vote earlier this week.