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Lawmakers and advocates for open internet intensified their call on California Gov. Jerry Brown to sign into law the net neutrality bill passed by the state legislature last week.

Brown has until Sep. 30 to sign or veto Senate Bill 822, which many consider a “gold standard” for states seeking to protect net neutrality. Lawmakers and open internet advocates want the governor to sign the legislation immediately.

Brown’s Approval of SB 822 is a Victory for Underrepresented Groups

On Friday, a coalition of advocacy groups sent a letter to Brown. They said that his signature on the net neutrality bill is very important.

"Your signature on SB 822 would mark a historic victory for black people and other underrepresented groups, advancing the long-held civil rights fight for equal voice, now in a digital age,” the letter read.

In addition, the coalition stressed that the legislation was “carefully written to translate the protections” of the Obama-era net neutrality rules. California lawmakers passed the bill after the Federal Communications Commission repealed those rules. They want to maintain those neutrality protections for Californians.

"In the face of media consolidation and a shocking lack of competition among consumer broadband providers, having these protections is essential to ensuring that the internet as we know it today continues to be a venue to explore new ideas, reach new audiences, share content and remain a tool to fight the very real threats to democracy and human rights,” the coalition said.

California Must 'Lead the Nation with the Strongest Net Neutrality' Protections

On Thursday, state Sen. Scott Wiener and Assemblymember Miguel Santiago, co-authors of SB 822, encouraged Brown to approve it.

Wiener said, “We must protect the right of every Californian to a free and open internet… When Donald Trump’s FCC took a wrecking ball to net neutrality protections, we knew California had to step in to protect California consumers and businesses. We worked hard to pass a strong bill that does the job. We urge the governor to sign it.”

Meanwhile, Santiago stated, “SB 822 is a crucial step toward ensuring that we have a free and open internet that doesn’t discriminate or price users or content differently. I urge Gov. Brown to once again have California lead the nation by signing the strongest net neutrality bill in the country. California must lead by example and show the Trump administration that their backward agenda will not be accepted.”