Relating To Broadband Service.
HB1472 would create a new chapter in the Hawaii Revised Statutes governing broadband internet access service and would add a set of net neutrality-style protections for consumers and edge providers. The bill requires broadband providers to publicly disclose network management practices, performance information, and commercial terms, and it prohibits blocking lawful content, throttling or otherwise discriminating against lawful internet traffic, paid prioritization, application-specific differential pricing, and certain forms of zero-rating. It also restricts deceptive marketing about traffic treatment or service performance and bars providers from using last-mile services in ways that would evade the chapter’s protections.
The bill also addresses broadband deployment permitting. It amends state and county permit statutes to require approval, approval with modification, or denial of broadband-related permits within 60 days for most applications, with a 145-day timeline for conservation district use applications. If agencies miss those deadlines, the permits are deemed approved, subject to exceptions for incomplete applications, natural disasters, state emergencies, and union strikes. The bill further requires permits for small cell or other broadband wireless devices on utility poles to be conditioned on compliance with the new broadband chapter.
If enacted, HB1472 would add a new regulatory framework for broadband internet access service in Hawaii, effectively imposing state-level open internet rules on internet service providers operating in the state. It would affect providers’ network management, pricing, marketing, and traffic treatment practices, while also limiting public entities from purchasing broadband service from providers that violate the chapter. In addition, it would amend existing state and county broadband permitting laws to speed deployment of broadband infrastructure through automatic-approval deadlines and related procedural requirements, while preserving safety, engineering, and federal-approval requirements.
The available record shows no committee transcripts or recorded votes, so there is no direct evidence of debate or formal support/opposition in the materials provided. Based on the bill text and title, the measure appears to be framed as a consumer-protection and broadband-expansion bill, combining net neutrality rules with permitting reforms. The overall posture of the bill is affirmative toward open internet access and faster broadband buildout.
The main likely points of contention are the bill’s restrictions on broadband provider business practices and the scope of state regulation over internet traffic management. Internet service providers may object to prohibitions on paid prioritization, application-specific differential pricing, and some zero-rating practices, as well as the disclosure and compliance obligations. Another likely area of dispute is the automatic-approval permitting structure, which could be viewed by state or county agencies as limiting review time, although the bill preserves exceptions for incomplete applications, emergencies, safety, engineering, and federal permitting requirements.