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Oregon passes its own net neutrality laws, but not for home users

"The internet has democratised knowledge and is an invaluable tool. It's so important that it remains open and accessible"

Oregon has become the second US state to pass laws restoring net neutrality - to an extent.

CNET reports the new bill doesn't reintroduce neutrality requirements for internet service providers - meaning home users could still be vulnerable to changes in their services - but prevents state agencies from contracting with any providers that do not treat all internet traffic equally.

It's a narrower scope than the law Washington state passed earlier this year but potentially a step in a promising direction.

The bill was signed by Oregon governor Kate Brown and comes into effect in 2019.

In a statement, Brown said: "The internet has democratised knowledge and is an invaluable tool for education. It's so important that it remains open and accessible for everyone.

"In Oregon we want to make sure that access to the internet is a level playing field, instead of exacerbating economic disparity."

The Federal Communications Commission declared an end to net neutrality back in December, reversing laws introduced by President Obama. This gives ISPs more control over how they prioritise traffic and what they charge users for different internet speeds.

Last week, US games body the ESA joined the fight for net neutrality when it applied to join a lawsuit against the FCC.

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James Batchelor

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James Batchelor is Editor-in-Chief at GamesIndustry.biz. He has been a B2B journalist since 2006, and an author since he knew what one was