Maine Legislature Passes Bill Expanding Net Neutrality
3 Maine Republicans broke ranks to help Democrats pass open internet bill.
June 9, 2025 – Maine lawmakers have passed a bill that would enshrine net neutrality protections statewide, sending the legislation to the desk of Gov. Janet Mills, D, after bipartisan approval in both chambers of the state legislature last week.
The bill, An Act to Establish Net Neutrality, introduced by Rep. Christopher Kessler, D-Portland, passed the House on Wednesday, June 4, by a 79-66 vote. The Senate followed suit on Thursday, June 5, adopting the House's amended version of the bill.
At least three Republicans – Reps. Steve Foster of Dexter, Gregg Swallow of Houlton, and John Eder of Waterboro – broke ranks to support the bill.
State Broadband
The bill requires Internet service providers doing business with the state to treat all platforms equally – prohibiting blocking, throttling, or paid prioritization.
The bill expands on Maine’s 2019 net neutrality law, LD 1364, which only applied to ISPs with state contracts. Kessler’s bill expands those requirements to cover all users, and violations would be enforced under Maine’s Unfair Trade Practices Act.
Supporters said the bill was a natural extension of existing policy. Joe Olivia, outreach director at GrowSmart Maine and a member of the Maine Broadband Coalition, noted in testimony that Maine had already aligned itself with the now-defunct federal net neutrality standards.
Lynn Follansbee of USTelecom testified against the Maine bill, said MaineWire, a news source for the state, arguing state-by-state rules would create unnecessary complexity for providers.
The state regulation comes amid continued fluctuation of net neutrality rules at the federal level.
The rules were first instituted in 2015 during the Obama administration, then reversed in 2018 under the first Trump administration. The FCC moved to reinstitute the rules under Biden in April 2024, and the Sixth Circuit struck down the attempt on January 2, 2025.
If signed by Gov. Mills, Maine would join California, Oregon, Vermont, and Washington among states with their own net neutrality laws.
