Washington to sue after FCC votes to repeal net neutrality

Washington state Attorney General Bob Ferguson said Thursday he will file a lawsuit against the FCC's decision to undo net neutrality rules implemented under the Obama administration. The vote was 3-2, with Republicans on the FCC board carrying the majority.

"Yesterday I sent a letter to the FCC asking them to delay their vote gutting net neutrality. Unfortunately, they did not, Ferguson wrote in a statement. "Today, I am announcing my intention to file a legal challenge to the FCC’s decision to roll back net neutrality, along with attorneys general across the country."

The FCC's new rules could usher in big changes in how Americans use the internet. The agency got rid of rules that barred companies like Comcast, AT&T, and Verizon from playing favorites with internet apps and sites.

The broadband industry promises that the internet experience isn't going to change. But protests have erupted online and in the streets as everyday Americans worry that cable and phone companies will be able to control what they see and do online.

Tech companies big and small also fear what the changes could mean for the future of innovation online.

"The open and fair internet was the basis of hundreds of thousands of startups," said Brett Greene, founder of New Tech Northwest, a community builder for local tech companies.

http://www.king5.com/article/tech/washington-to-sue-after-fcc-votes-to-repeal-net-neutrality/499471526?c=n