NEW YORK (Sputnik) — The attorneys general of New York, Washington and California announced on Thursday that the three US states will file lawsuits against the Federal Communication Commission's (FCC) decision to reverse net neutrality regulations.
"This is not just an attack on the future of our internet," New York Attorney General Eric Schneiderman said in a statement. "It’s an attack on all New Yorkers, and on the integrity of every American's voice in government – and we will fight back.”
Washington State Attorney General Bob Ferguson announced in a separate statement on Thursday his intention to file a legal challenge against the FCC's decision to roll back net neutrality. Ferguson said his office would file a petition for review in the coming days.
Earlier on Thursday, the FCC voted to repeal net neutrality rules imposed under former US President Barack Obama, saying the measure was needed to promote innovation and halt the government's micromanagement of the internet. A party-line vote ended the regulations, with three Republican commissioners on the five-member panel voting to end the rules.
Consumer advocacy groups and technology companies have long championed net neutrality, which they say is needed to prevent big Internet service providers from slowing or blocking the delivery of competitors' content.
"Net neutrality is just the idea that your internet service provider can't interfere with your internet traffic when you're going to a website. They can't slow it down because they don't like the site or it's competitive to them and they can't charge you more to access certain websites," web designer and technologist Chris Garrafa told Radio Sputnik last month.
