A U.S. federal court upheld the FCC's 2017 decision to eliminate net neutrality rules while simultaneously striking down the agency's attempt to block states from implementing their own net neutrality regulations.

The D.C. Circuit Court of Appeals found arguments from net neutrality supporters "unconvincing" and largely affirmed the actions of FCC Chairman Ajit Pai. However, the court mandated that the FCC must revise certain aspects of its neutrality repeal.

Crucially, the ruling overturned the FCC's Preemption Directive, which attempted to prevent states from adopting their own net neutrality rules. The court stated that the FCC "ignored binding precedent" in trying to prevent state-level statutes, declaring this failure "fatal" to the preemption.

This decision means that while states cannot automatically implement their own net neutrality rules, the FCC must now challenge each state individually rather than imposing blanket restrictions. This particularly affects states like California, which implemented strong net neutrality protections in 2018.

Digital advocacy group Fight for the Future sees this as an opportunity to restore net neutrality state by state, citing California's bipartisan success as a model for other states to follow.

FCC Chairman Pai welcomed the ruling as a victory against "1930s utility-style regulation of the Internet." However, Democratic FCC Commissioner Jessica Rosenworcel criticized the original repeal, stating the FCC was on the wrong side of public opinion, history, and now, in many respects, the law.

The fight for net neutrality continues at local, state, and federal levels, with advocates pursuing multiple paths to restore these protections across the United States.

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