Lawmakers in California's State Assembly have weakened a landmark bill aimed at implementing a local version of the Federal Communications Commission's now-defunct net neutrality rules, in a blow to Internet activists who had hoped for stronger measures.  

Approved by the California Senate last month, the bill sought to impose strict regulations on how broadband providers, such as AT&T and Comcast, may handle Internet content. Key provisions not only banned ISPs from blocking or slowing down websites, but also prohibited the carriers from exempting specific apps and services from wireless data caps for an extra fee, a practice known as zero-rating.  

The bill as initially proposed, SB 822, could have become the toughest such legislation in the country, with additional provisions that banned providers from charging websites extra fees to reach Internet users.

[This crafty tactic may let states get around the FCC on net neutrality]

But in a vote Wednesday in a key State Assembly committee, lawmakers led by Chairman Miguel Santiago (D-Los Angeles) moved to strip the bill of the additional provisions that went beyond the FCC's old rules. The committee still sought to advance the bill, but the vote drew criticism from Internet activists who accused Santiago of being swayed by broadband industry lobbyists.