OLYMPIA, Wash. (Legal Newsline) — Washington state Attorney General Bob Ferguson announced Jan. 16 that he is urging the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) to withdraw its new net neutrality rules.
“Allowing powerful special interest to act as the Internet’s gatekeepers harms consumers, innovation and small businesses,” Ferguson said in a news release. “We believe the FCC acted unlawfully when it gutted net neutrality, and I look forward to holding the FCC accountable to the rule of law.”
Ferguson joined a coalition of 21 other states and the District of Columbia in filing a petition with the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia. The coalition seeks to block the FCC’s decision to repeal regulations created during the Obama administration that ban Internet service providers from treating websites differently depending on the content.
“Protecting net neutrality is as critical as protecting free speech,” Washington Gov. Jay Inslee said. “The FCC’s attack on the open Internet is bad for Washingtonians, bad for business and a major step backward. I’m glad that Washington is leading the fight against the FCC’s kowtow to corporate lobbyists and continuing the fight for net neutrality.”
Handling the case for the state of Washington was assistant attorney general Tiffany Lee of Ferguson’s Consumer Protection Division.