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Federal judge says California can enforce net neutrality law

A federal judge on Tuesday ruled that California can for the first time enforce its tough net neutrality law, clearing the way for the state to ban internet providers from slowing down or blocking access to websites and applications that don’t pay for premium service.

Former Gov. Jerry Brown signed the bill in 2018, making California the first state to pass a net neutrality law. Open internet advocates hoped the law would spur Congress and other states to follow suit. The Trump administration quickly sued to block the law, which prevented it from taking effect for years while the case was tied up in court.

The Biden administration dropped that lawsuit earlier this month. But in a separate lawsuit, the telecom industry asked a federal judge to keep blocking the law. On Tuesday, U.S. District Court Judge John A. Mendez denied their request, allowing California to begin enforcing the law.

By ADAM BEAM | The Associated Press

SACRAMENTO  — A federal judge on Tuesday ruled that California can for the first time enforce its tough net neutrality law, clearing the way for the state to ban internet providers from slowing down or blocking access to websites and applications that don’t pay for premium service.

Former Gov. Jerry Brown signed the bill in 2018, making California the first state to pass a net neutrality law. Open internet advocates hoped the law would spur Congress and other states to follow suit. The Trump administration quickly sued to block the law, which prevented it from taking effect for years while the case was tied up in court.

The Biden administration dropped that lawsuit earlier this month. But in a separate lawsuit, the telecom industry asked a federal judge to keep blocking the law. On Tuesday, U.S. District Court Judge John A. Mendez denied their request, allowing California to begin enforcing the law.

California state Sen. Scott Wiener, a Democrat from San Francisco and the author of the law, called the ruling “a huge victory for open access to the internet, our democracy and our economy.”

“The internet is at the heart of modern life. We all should be able to decide for ourselves where we go on the internet and how we access information,” Wiener said. “We cannot allow big corporations to make those decisions for us.”

In a joint statement, multiple telecom industry associations said they will review the judge’s decision “before deciding on next steps.” They urged Congress to set net-neutrality rules for the country rather than relying on states to come up with regulations on their own.

“A state-by-state approach to Internet regulation will confuse consumers and deter innovation, just as the importance of broadband for all has never been more apparent,” read the statement from the Cellular Telecommunications and Internet Association, ACA Connects, the National Cable and Telecommunications Association and USTelecom.

California’s law was spurred by the Federal Communications Commission’s 2017 decision to repeal net-neutrality rules that applied nationwide. The telecom industry fought hard against the bill, arguing it would discourage companies from investing in faster internet speeds.

But advocates say without the rules, it would make it easy for internet providers to favor their own services by making it harder for customers to access their competitors’ websites and apps.

The law seeks to ban internet providers from slowing down customers’ data streams based on the content they are viewing. It also bars providers from speeding up access to websites willing to pay extra for special treatment.

“The ability of an internet service provider to block, slow down or speed up content based on a user’s ability to pay for service degrades the very idea of a competitive marketplace and the open transfer of information at the core of our increasingly digital and connected world,” California Attorney General Xavier Becerra said.

COVID-19 Cases and Deaths Among Nursing Home Residents Have Declined Markedly Following the Introduction of Vaccines

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The number of residents contracting and dying of COVID-19 in nursing homes has declined markedly following the introduction of vaccination efforts in long-term care facilities, a KFF analysis finds. Resident deaths from COVID-19 in nursing homes have decreased by two-thirds (66%) since vaccination efforts began in late December. New cases of the novel coronavirus amongMore

Coronavirus: California vaccination totals and each county tier level as of Feb. 23

As of Tuesday, Feb. 23, the California Department of Public Health’s Vaccine Dashboard shows about 10.3 million doses have been shipped throughout the state (1.6 million more than last week) and of those, 7.5 million have been administered (up 1.1 million from last week).

According to Bloomberg’s COVID vaccine dashboard, 13.9% of California’s population has received at least one shot and 5.2% are fully vaccinated. California has the highest daily rate of doses administered in the country at 207,374. The second-highest rate belongs to Florida with 128,568.

Los Angeles (1.85 million), San Diego (724,683) and Orange (635,285) counties have administered the most doses to date in California. About 99% of the data is recorded by the patient’s county of residence.

Here are the California county vaccination totals as of Feb. 22:

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Here are the California county vaccination totals as of Feb. 16:

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Here are the totals from Feb. 9:

Here are the totals from Feb. 2:

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California vaccination phases, each county may not have progressed as far in eligibility:

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Current tier assignments

In California, 47 of its 58 counties are in the purple tier (considered widespread risk), two counties are in the orange tier (moderate risk) and nine are in the red tier (substantial risk), according to the state’s four-tier coronavirus tracking system.

Trinity County moved from the orange tier to the more restrictive red tier since that last report; 52 of California’s counties were in the purple tier in the last report.

On Nov. 24, the state had 41 counties in purple, 11 counties in red, four in orange, two in yellow.

Counties are assigned to a tier based on metrics showing the speed and the spread of the virus in their borders.

The states progression in tiers since Sept. 22:

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State metrics:

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Sources: covid19ca.gov, California Department of Public Health, U.S. Census, U.S.D.A, California State Association of Counties

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Al Jazeera to launch rightwing media platform targeting US conservatives

Did you need a reason to not read, listen or watch Al Jazeera? No need to subsidize it’s nurturing right-wing dictators and wannabe fascists!!!

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Rightly will be led by a former Fox News journalist and is aimed at Republicans who ‘feel left out of conservative media’

Al Jazeera, the Qatar-based news network that has previously sought to become a liberal media force in the US, is launching a platform to target conservatives, it was revealed on Tuesday.

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