February 25, 2021 In 2017, the broadband industry appeared to win its battle against net neutrality. Under the Trump administration, the US Federal Communications Commission (FCC) rolled back rules that barred internet service providers from blocking or slowing down traffic to certain websites or charging some sites a fee for preferential treatment. Net neutrality was, effectively, dead. But the regulatory change turned out to be a Pyrrhic victory for telecom companies. The FCC’s decision opened the door for states to pass their own laws managing the internet. On Feb. 23, a federal judge paved the way for California to do just that: The state can now implement its 2018 net neutrality law, which reinstates all the former FCC net neutrality rules within California.