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Bills from the 2017–18 session

Senate Bill 740

State contracts for broadband Internet access service. (FE)

Stopped in committee

It never got a ⁠, so it never came up for a vote. To try again, a lawmaker would have to start a new bill.

  1. Introduced, passed

    Jan 29, 2018

  2. Committee, stopped here

    Stopped here. No public hearing was held.

  3. Senate vote, not reached

  4. Assembly vote, not reached

  5. Governor, not reached

  6. Law, not reached

Latest entry in the official record, Mar 28, 2018: “Failed to pass pursuant to ⁠”

It never got a hearing in the Senate Committee on Elections and Utilities. See every bill that never got a hearing this session.

Read the bill

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What it would have done

Summary by the , the Legislature's nonpartisan drafting office. It's their wording, not ours.

This bill prohibits the state from contracting for broadband Internet access service (BIAS) unless the state determines that the service provider does not do any of the following:

1. Block lawful content, applications, or services or devices that do not harm the network.

Read the full summary

2. Throttle lawful Internet traffic on the basis of content, application, or service or use of a device that does not harm the network.

3. Engage in paid prioritization, which is the favoring of some Internet traffic over other traffic in exchange for some form of consideration.

4. Unreasonably interfere with or unreasonably disadvantage an end user's ability to select, access, and use BIAS or an edge provider's ability to make lawful content, applications, services, and devices available to end users. An edge provider is someone who provides any content, application, or service over the Internet, or a device used for accessing any Internet content, application, or service.

5. Engage in any unjust or unreasonable charge, practice, classification, or regulation.

6. Make any unjust or unreasonable discrimination in charges, practices, classifications, regulations, facilities, or services or subject any particular person, class of persons, or locality to any undue or unreasonable preference or advantage or prejudice or disadvantage.

7. Use, disclose, or permit access to any individually identifiable customer proprietary network information except in the provision of the BIAS or related service.

The bill also prohibits the state from contracting for BIAS unless the state determines that the service provider 1) discloses its commercial terms, which must include information on pricing, other fees, and data caps and allowances; 2) discloses its network performance characteristics, which must include information regarding packet loss; and 3) makes its services and equipment accessible to individuals with disabilities.

Who's behind it

5 senators are its ⁠. All 5 are Democrats.

15 more lawmakers ⁠.

See all 20 names

Authors (5)

Signed on in support (15)

What happened

  1. Mar 28, 2018

    The session ended, and the bill died with it.

  2. Jan 29, 2018

    Sent to the Senate Committee on Elections and Utilities.

  3. Jan 29, 2018

    Introduced in the Senate.

See the official record, word for word
  1. Jan 29, 2018 · Senate

    Introduced by Senators Erpenbach, Larson, Hansen, Carpenter and Vinehout; cosponsored by Representatives Anderson, Genrich, Hebl, Considine, Berceau, Zamarripa, Vruwink, Ohnstad, Sinicki, Spreitzer, Pope, Brostoff, Crowley, Billings and Hesselbein

  2. Jan 29, 2018 · Senate

    Read first time and referred to Committee on Elections and Utilities

  3. Mar 28, 2018 · Senate

    Failed to pass pursuant to Senate Joint Resolution 1

Terms on this page

Committee

A small group of lawmakers that looks at a bill first. Most bills never leave committee.

More in the glossary

Public hearing

A meeting where anyone can speak to a committee about a bill, or send written comments.

More in the glossary

Senate Joint Resolution 1

The session's calendar. Any bill not passed by its last voting day dies.

Official term: Failed to pass pursuant to SJR 1. More in the glossary

Legislative Reference Bureau

The Legislature's nonpartisan office that drafts bills and writes the summary at the top of each one.

Official term: LRB analysis. More in the glossary

Author

A lawmaker who formally puts a bill forward. The text itself is drafted by the Legislative Reference Bureau.

Official term: Author, coauthor. More in the glossary

Signed on in support

Lawmakers who back a bill without being one of its authors, often from the other chamber.

Official term: Cosponsor. More in the glossary

From the Wisconsin Legislature's official record, checked Sep 15, 2026. See the source

Committee

A small group of lawmakers that looks at a bill first. Most bills never leave committee.

Public hearing

A meeting where anyone can speak to a committee about a bill, or send written comments.

Senate Joint Resolution 1

The session's calendar. Any bill not passed by its last voting day dies.

Official term: Failed to pass pursuant to SJR 1

Legislative Reference Bureau

The Legislature's nonpartisan office that drafts bills and writes the summary at the top of each one.

Official term: LRB analysis

Author

A lawmaker who formally puts a bill forward. The text itself is drafted by the Legislative Reference Bureau.

Official term: Author, coauthor

Signed on in support

Lawmakers who back a bill without being one of its authors, often from the other chamber.

Official term: Cosponsor