House Energy panel reviews H.11 to expand broadband consumer protections and reporting

Maria Royal of the Legislative Council gave a line-by-line walkthrough of H.11 on Feb. 12, describing a proposed Vermont Broadband Consumer Protection and Competition Act that would extend net-neutrality protections beyond state contracts to all consumers, add sector-specific consumer-protection rules for broadband providers and create new reporting and market-monitoring duties for the attorney general and the Department of Public Service.

The bill, Royal said, contains legislative findings, definitions of “broadband provider,” “broadband service” and “consumer,” and a set of practices that would be deemed unfair or deceptive under Vermont’s Consumer Protection Act (chapter 63, Title 9). Royal read the bill’s title aloud: “The subchapter shall be known and may be cited as the Vermont Broadband Consumer Protection and Competition Act.”

Why it matters: Royal told the committee that about 15% of Vermont locations—roughly 47,000 addresses—lack access to high-speed broadband and that many more have only a single provider. The bill’s drafters say those conditions can create an imbalance of power between providers and consumers and limit economic, educational and health opportunities in rural areas.

Key provisions explained - Net neutrality: Under current Vermont law (enacted Feb. 2018) net-neutrality certifications apply only to state contracts. H.11 would require providers serving Vermont consumers to comply with net-neutrality requirements (no blocking, throttling, paid prioritization). Royal noted that similar state laws have faced litigation; she…