The State of Vermont has been hit with a net neutrality lawsuit after passing a Senate Bill and signing an Executive Order forcing ISPs to follow the banned principles for government contracts.

The lawsuit, filed by the CTIA, cable industry lobby NCTA, telco lobby USTelecom, the New England Cable & Telecommunications Association, and the American Cable Association (ACA), calls into question requirements for ISPs to follow net neutrality rules should they want to be considered for government contracts. The lawsuit follows the same argument as the California case; it contradicts the Communications Act, the ‘Restoring Internet Freedom’ rules and two clauses in the US Constitution.

“This case concerns two interrelated attempts by the State of Vermont to unconstitutionally regulate the provision of broadband Internet service” the filing states. “

As the FCC has repeatedly recognized, Internet traffic flows freely between states, making it difficult or impossible for a provider to distinguish traffic moving within Vermont from traffic that crosses stateborders. Both the Supremacy Clause and the dormant Commerce Clause protect broadband Internet service providers from a patch work of inconsistent regulations that are impossible for them to comply with as a practical matter. The Court should declare that the Executive Order and S.289 are preempted and unconstitutional, and should permanently enjoin the Defendants from enforcing or giving effect to them.”

Senate Bill 289 was signed by Governor Phil Scott on May 22, while the Executive Order from Scott was signed in February. The telco lobbyists might be a bit slow off the mark, but this is a bit more of a complicated matter.