Today, the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals issued its opinion in ACA Connects v. Bonta, rejecting an attempt by broadband providers to overturn California’s net neutrality law. Public Knowledge and other consumer groups filed an amicus brief in this case last year.
The following can be attributed to John Bergmayer, Legal Director at Public Knowledge:
“This is a great decision and a major victory for internet users in California and nationwide. The court rightly found that when a federal agency determines that it has no authority over a service, it necessarily also loses the ability to preempt state laws on that topic. This means that California’s excellent broadband consumer protection law, SB 822, can go into effect.
“When the FCC has its full complement of commissioners, it should put into place rules at least as strong as California’s nationwide, making some state measures unnecessary. But even after that happens, this decision clarifies that states have room to enact broadband consumer protection laws that go beyond the federal baseline.”
Members of the media may contact Communications Director Shiva Stella with inquiries, interview requests, or to join the Public Knowledge press list at shiva@publicknowledge.org or 405-249-9435.