California Agrees To Delay Net Neutrality Law Pending Outcome Of Federal Lawsuit

California Agrees To Delay Net Neutrality Law Pending Outcome Of Federal Lawsuit

5 years ago
Anonymous $ZPWJA6-QD2

https://www.techdirt.com/articles/20181029/06503940932/california-agrees-to-delay-net-neutrality-law-pending-outcome-federal-lawsuit.shtml

California has agreed to pause the state's shiny new net neutrality lawsuit pending the outcome of a looming federal lawsuit against the FCC. After some early gamesmanship courtesy of AT&T, California passed one of the toughest net neutrality laws in the nation (which isn't saying much) back in September. The law effectively mirrors the discarded 2015 FCC net neutrality rules, though the law goes a little further to ensure that ISPs can't abuse things like zero rating (exempting a partner or an ISP's own content but not others) and usage caps.

In a not entirely-unexpected move, the state late last week struck a deal with government and industry lawyers, agreeing to delay its implementation until a lawsuit against the FCC can be settled. That federal lawsuit, filed by Mozilla and 23 State Attorneys General, isn't expected to hear opening arguments until February. If the FCC and industry lose, the 2015 rules would be restored. If the FCC and industry win, the legal fight shifts to whether states will be allowed to implement their own rules, potentially, eventually, coming down to new Supreme Court Justice Brett Kavanaugh.