USTelecom, CTIA, NCTA and ACA announced they have filed a joint lawsuit in federal court, challenging the state of Vermont’s net neutrality legislation, Internet Bill (S. 289) and Executive Order No. 2-18. The law states that companies not complying with net neutrality rules will not be able to get state contracts.
The trade associations said the internet bill “threatens service for customers, hampers innovation and dampens investment in local communities. The associations also said states should not pre-empt federal law, using their spending and procurement authority to bypass federal laws they do not like. The associations took the state of California to court earlier this month for the same reason.
Other states, including New York, New Jersey, Rhode Island, Montana and Hawaii, have adopted similar rules to bar state contracts from companies not complying with net neutrality protections.
Vermont governor Phil Scott, Scott said he was disappointed the lawsuit was filed against the state “for taking action to protect our citizens and our economy.” The Republican governor said he believed Vermont residents “have a right to free and open access to information on the internet. In the absence of a national standard to protect that right, states must act.”
USTelecom represents telecom-related businesses in the US and CTIA the wireless communications industry. NCTA is the Internet & Television Association and ACA the American Cable Association.
