Over 20 US States Reportedly File Lawsuits Over Net Neutrality Repeal

MOSCOW (Sputnik) - More than 20 US states and several non-governmental organizations have filed lawsuits against the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) over its December repeal of net neutrality rules, which regulate access to the Internet for consumers and businesses, the Washington Post newspaper reported on Tuesday.

Twenty-one states and the District of Columbia, as well as several organizations have filed lawsuits against the net neutrality overturn, according to the media.

The net neutrality rules, which ensured that providers could not block, slow down or put up paywalls for any specific websites, were repealed in a December vote.

READ MORE: California Attorney General Sues FCC Over Net Neutrality Ruling

New York Attorney General Eric Schneiderman, one of the state attorneys who filed lawsuits against the FCC, has claimed that the decision violates federal law.

FCC Chairman Ajit Pai explained in December that investment in high-speed networks had been declining under net neutrality regulations because of limited competition in the sector. According to the chairman, net neutrality was especially hard on smaller providers.

The latest US net neutrality rules were adopted and went into effect under the previous US administration in 2015.

The repeal might lead to providers offering consumers access to certain websites for extra pay or charging Internet companies that use up more traffic than others, such as Netflix or YouTube, extra.