A pair of North Carolina senators are pushing forward a bill that would make net neutrality protections state law.  

Senate Bill 736, filed Wednesday in the North Carolina Senate by Sens. Jay Chaudhuri (D-Wake) and Mike Woodard (D-Caswell, Durham, Person), would make it unlawful for internet service providers (ISPs) with customers in the state to violate net neutrality principles.

Doing so would, under the bill’s terms, be labeled “an unfair trade practice.”​

In an interview, Chaudhuri says the measure comes after numerous conversations with business owners in the Triangle over the months following the Federal Communication Commission's repeal of net neutrality rules in December.

"I represent a district that includes innovators," he says, pointing to N.C. State University and the companies spinning out of its research as an example. "If you take away net neutrality, and we see fees introduced, that places a disproportionate burden on small businesses. The small business owner and the innovator can't compete on the same level playing field as a large corporation."