Press Releases
01/16/2018
AG Jepsen: Conn. Joins Multistate Petition Asking Federal Appeals Court to Overturn FCC's Net Neutrality Repeal
Connecticut has joined with 20 other states and the District of Columbia in asking a federal appeals court to overturn the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) rollback of net neutrality rules, Attorney General George Jepsen said today.
In a petition for review filed at the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit, the states argue that the FCC's action was "arbitrary, capricious and an abuse of discretion" and that it violated federal laws and regulations.
"The Internet should always remain open and free," said Attorney General Jepsen. "In the face of the FCC's action, and the inaction of Congressional leadership to right this obvious wrong, state attorneys general are today taking this first step in asking the court to overturn the FCC's order. I'm proud to stand with my colleagues in strong support of net neutrality and opposed to the FCC's illegal action."
In December, the FCC voted to repeal its 2015 Open Internet Order, which banned content blocking and throttling practices on the part of internet service providers (ISPs) in order to protect consumers and maintain open access to online content. The FCC's new order would allow ISPs to favor or disfavor certain content or content providers or to charge certain content producers or consumers more for access to online content.
In addition to Connecticut, and led by New York Attorney General Eric Schneiderman, the petition also includes California, Delaware, Hawaii, Illinois, Iowa, Kentucky, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Minnesota, Mississippi, New Mexico, North Carolina, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Vermont, Virginia, Washington, and the District of Columbia.
Assistant Attorneys General Jonathan Blake, Michael Wertheimer and John Wright are assisting the Attorney General with this matter.
Please click here to view a copy of the states' petition.
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