California may gut state net neutrality law to comply with Trump admin demand

California is considering weakening its state net neutrality protections to secure $1.86 billion in federal broadband funding under the Broadband Equity, Access, and Deployment (BEAD) program. The Trump administration has mandated that states receiving these funds must refrain from enforcing net neutrality rules or rate regulations on participating Internet service providers. This requirement places California in a difficult position, as the state previously fought a lengthy legal battle to uphold its own net neutrality legislation, which prohibits ISPs from blocking, throttling, or prioritizing traffic for fees. While the administration previously failed to preempt state-level net neutrality laws through direct litigation, this new strategy ties federal financial support to the abandonment of state-level enforcement. California officials must now decide whether to prioritize the significant broadband infrastructure investment or maintain the integrity of its existing consumer protection laws against potential federal preemption.