Free Porn Could Be a Thing of the Past in Rhode Island

Welcome to the post net-neutrality internet.

Pornhub logo is displayed at the company's booth during the 2018 AVN Adult Expo.
Image via Gabe Ginsberg/FilmMagic
Pornhub logo is displayed at the company's booth during the 2018 AVN Adult Expo.

Rhode Island lawmakers have it out for free porn. If they have it their way, of-age online porn viewers would have to pay $20 to access normally free spank banks. The seemingly conservative bill was actually put forward by Democratic state senators Frank Ciccone and Hanna Gallo.

If the bill were to pass, it would be up to internet service providers (ISPs) to block sites that publish “sexual content and/or patently offensive material.” In order to access the sites, users would have to pay a one-time fee of $20 dollars, provide proof that they're 18 or older, and give a written request to unblock the content. On the plus side, those fees would go toward a state fund that fights human trafficking.

Mashable points out that, while the bill likely won't pass, the legal debate is symptomatic of what could be a trend for online porn after the FCC voted 3-2 to dismantle net neutrality last year. In the absence of those laws, it’s up to ISPs to decide which sites get higher bandwidth.

Naturally, Pornhub has some characteristically NSFW thoughts on the issue.

Latest in Life