Federal Communications Commission (FCC) Chairman Ajit Pai is pointing to a federal appeals court ruling as evidence states lack the authority to reimpose net neutrality.

The ruling Friday found that the state of Minnesota cannot regulate VoIP phone services because it is internet-based and the internet is an "information service." Pai says that means states like California, that are imposing their own rules concerning the internet, don't have the legal authority to do so.

“A patchwork quilt of 50 state laws harms investment and innovation in advanced communications services," Pai said in a statement. "That’s why federal law for decades has recognized that states may not regulate information services."

Last December, the FCC voted along party lines to roll back its own net neutrality rules put in place during the Obama administration. Those rules classified the internet as a common carrier, requiring providers to treat all internet traffic the same.