Iowa AG Threatens Lawsuit Over FCC’s Net Neutrality Repeal

Lonnie Tague for the Department of Justice/Wikimedia Commons

Iowa Attorney General Tom Miller, a Democrat, on Thursday announced on Twitter that his office “will consult with other state attorneys general” about a potential “multistate legal challenge” in wake of the Federal Communication Commission’s controversial 3-2 vote to repeal net neutrality open internet protections.

The vote was championed by FCC Chairman Ajit Pai, a former Verizon lawyer who has been dismissive of critics’ concerns that overturning net neutrality will allow giant corporations to control what content internet users can most easily access by charging for specific websites or throttling connection speeds in a way that could censor internet content.

Last week, Pai joked about being a shill for Verizon. He followed up on Wednesday in a video produced by disgraced journalist (and University of Iowa grad) Benny Johnson in which he mocked the outcry over the FCC’s plans to end net neutrality the next day.

Gavin Aronsen
Gavin Aronsen is an editor and reporter for and founding member of the Iowa Informer. He previously worked as a city reporter for the Ames Tribune, research assistant to investigative journalist Wayne Barrett at the Village Voice, and in various roles at Mother Jones, where his work contributed to a National Magazine Award nomination for the magazine's digital media coverage of the Occupy Wall Street movement. Email: garonsen [at] iowainformer [dot] com.