The US broadband industry on Wednesday ended its legal challenge against California’s net neutrality law.
Telecom groups dismiss the challenge to California net neutrality
A group of industry associations representing major broadband providers such as Verizon, AT&T, Comcast Corp, and others dismissed their legal challenge. The ninth US Circuit Court of Appeals refused to reconsider a ruling holding the 2018 Californian state law. The rule bars internet providers from throttling traffic, blocking, or offering paid fast lanes’. “Following multiple defeats in court, internet service providers have abandoned this effort to block enforcement of California’s net neutrality law,” stated Rob Bonta. Bonta is the Californian Attorney General.
More on the challenges and court ruling
The association challenging the law stated in a joint statement that “broadband providers are united in support of an open internet”. They also committed to working with both the Congress and the Federal Communications Commission for developing a federal approach to resolve the issues.
Back in January, the appeals court ruled that the 2017 FCC decision for reversing federal internet protection cannot bar state action. “The end of this litigation is a boon for free speech, competition, and innovation on the internet,” stated Andrew Jay Schwartzman. Schwartzman is a senior counselor at the Benton Institute for Broadband & Society.
Additionally, the appeals court said that, since the FCC had reclassified internet services in 2017 as more lightly regulated information services, the commission “no longer has the authority to regulate in the same manner that it had when these services were classified as telecommunications services.” A lower court also refused to block the net neutrality law from coming into effect after the Justice Department withdrew its separate legal challenge to California’s state law in February 2021