Yesterday one of the toughest net neutrality bills currently being considered in the United States was signed into law by the Governor of California. Now the Department of Justice is suing California saying their new net neutrality law breaks federal law.
California’s new net neutrality law prohibits slowing down or blocking access to content and a ban on zero rating. The zero-rating ban would be the harshest net neutrality rule yet imposed—even the FCC did not ban zero rating on wireless carriers. This would put an end, for example, to AT&T’s unlimited data if you use DIRECTV NOW.
U.S. Attorney General Jeff Sessions said on Sunday in a statement that “states do not regulate interstate commerce — the federal government does. Once again the California legislature has enacted an extreme and illegal state law attempting to frustrate federal policy.”
The DOJ is not the only ones moving to stop this new law. As you would expect, large internet service providers, like AT&T, Verizon, and Comcast, oppose the California Net Neutrality law. While they say they still support the basic idea of net neutrality, they argue for bans on things like zero rating and paid priority. Look for them to try to challenge this new law in court before it takes effect later this year.
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