US justice charges California over strict net neutrality

The United States Department of Justice is suing California for enacting strict net neutrality. According to Washington, the state does not have the power to regulate the Internet.

On Sunday, California Governor Jerry Brown signed the bill for strict net neutrality. This means that providers in the state are obliged to treat internet traffic equally. Zero-rating is also prohibited, not charging data traffic if a service pays the provider for this, for example. In addition, providers are not allowed to charge companies for access to their customers.

The US Department of Justice responded immediately to the introduction of the new rules in California. According to the ministry, the rules go against the federal government’s policy to deregulate the internet. In a statement, the ministry speaks of “objectionable state regulation on the free internet that is illegal and anti-consumer.” Only the federal state could implement policy in this area, as it is an interstate information service.

According to Ajit Pai, the chairman of the FCC, California law prevents “free data” plans, which allow consumers to stream video and music without a data limit. “Those have proven to be very popular in the market, especially among low-income Americans.” The FCC is the authority led by Pai that abolished net neutrality in the US with the Restoring Internet Freedom Order.

Critics of the FCC’s policies fear that letting go of regulation will end the Internet as a level playing field, providing access for as many parties as possible. They fear that consumers will be worse off if certain services can be given priority for a fee.