Appeals Court Weighs California Net Neutrality Law

California's net neutrality law could pave the way for conflicting broadband regulations in all 50 states, a lawyer for the cable industry argued to a three-judge panel of the 9th Circuit Court of Appeals. “The question before this court is whether interstate broadband service will continue to be governed by a single, national set of rules, or instead will for the first time face a patchwork of conflicting state regulation,” attorney Scott Angstreich, who represents broadband lobbying groups, told the appellate judges. “If California were correct, interstate broadband providers could have to apply up to 50 different sets of rules when carrying the same Netflix shows, or Zoom calls, or national news, to their customers in different states.” But Patti Li, who defended the California law, countered that the state law prevents broadband providers from discriminating against content providers they disagree with, or charging them fees for reaching internet users. “No one can doubt the central importance of fair and open access to the internet in this day and age, during a global pandemic that has pushed so many activities online, and in the midst of so many climate events and wildfires, when immediate access to information can be a mater of life or death.” She added that states don't need prior federal approval to pass consumer protection laws, “especially when it comes to a basic necessity like access to the internet.”