California’s Governor, Jerry Brown, signed a legislation last night which prevents Internet service providers (ISPs) from slowing down traffic or charging for faster loading. Merely a few hours after Governor Brown passed the law, the US Department of Justice filed a lawsuit intended to strike down California’s new net neutrality law.

ABC News has described California’s recently signed legislation as the toughest in the country. The new net neutrality law consists of 34 bills, which Governor Brown approved on Sunday.

The California law prevents ISPs from speeding up or blocking access to specific content. It has also banned providers from charging websites and apps more money if they wish to provide faster service for their users.

The bill has various similarities with Obama-era net neutrality rules, which were repealed by the Federal Communications Commission earlier this year. In a press release arguing for the legislation’s roll-back, the FCC claimed the Obama-era “regulations made things worse by limiting investment in high-speed networks and slowing broadband deployment.”

California’s new strict net neutrality laws clash with the federal government’s decision to roll back the Obama-era regulation. In response to Governor Brown approving the bill, the Justice Department has issued a lawsuit against the state of California. The lawsuit contends that only the federal government has the authority to set regulations in this area.

In a press release, the Justice Department accused Governor Brown’s Internet regulation bill of “unlawfully (imposing) burdens on the Federal Government’s deregulatory approach to the Internet.”

Ajit Pai, Chairman of the Federal Communications Commission, issued a statement claiming, “I’m pleased the Department of Justice has filed this lawsuit. The internet is inherently an interstate information service. As such, only the government can set policy in this area.”

According to CNN News, the United States’ Justice Department is not the only entity opposing California’s new legislation. Major broadband companies, such as AT&T and Comcast, have aggressively lobbied against Governor Brown’s net neutrality bill.

USTelecom, a trade group acting in representation of broadband services, issued a press release on Sunday claiming, “we all support strong and enforceable net neutrality protections for every American.” Yet the trade group opposed California’s decision to pass a state-wide regulation.

“This bill is neither the way to get there,” said Jonathan Spalter, USTelecom’s President and CEO, in a statement. He later added, “Rather than 50 states stepping in with their own conflicting open internet solutions, we need Congress to step up with a national framework for the whole internet ecosystem and resolve this issue once and for all.”

The law was originally meant to come into effect on January 1st. Yet before it can be legally enforced by the state of California, it must surpass the legal battles set in its wake.