Gov. Greg Abbott famously joked that when he served as attorney general, his daily routine consisted of going to the office in the morning, suing the president, then going home.

Texas took the feds to court at least four dozen times during the Obama administration, fighting over everything from immigration to ozone standards to the red snapper fishing season. Now our current AG needs to prove he can battle the government on behalf of the people of Texas even when Washington is run by politicians in his own party.

Attorney General Ken Paxton has an opportunity to sue the feds over a cause that could impact all Texans, an issue that was once a part of the state's Republican Party platform. Paxton should join his counterparts from other states who plan to challenge the FCC's repeal of net neutrality.

The Federal Communications Commission last week voted to repeal the rules that required telecommunications companies to give all websites equal access to broadband service. So now, the corporations that provide our internet service will have the power to threaten businesses like Netflix with slower service unless they pay a premium that, of course, will be passed along to consumers. That scenario is very real; Comcast tried to slow down Netflix in 2014.

Net neutrality opponents make a standard free market argument, saying that consumers who don't like the slower service on one internet service provider can simply switch to another. They also claim that telecommunications companies will now have the freedom to offer options that could reduce consumers' internet bills. The problem with that logic is that most Americans have to choose between only one or two big providers like Comcast and AT&T; broadband service in most of the country isn't a free market, it's either a monopoly or a duopoly. And if you think telecommunications corporations with so little competition are really going to lower your internet bills, the Allen Brothers might want to sell you some Enron stock.

Now attorneys general from several states have announced plans to challenge the FCC. New York's attorney general is leading the charge, arguing that the comment process was corrupted by millions of submissions from bots, stolen identities, Russian email addresses and more than a few dead people. Other legal experts say the FCC's arguments for repealing net neutrality conflict existing laws.

That's why Paxton should join this fight on behalf of the people of Texas. Unfortunately, what should be a populist cause has become a partisan fight, so there's little hope Paxton will do the right thing on this issue.

If he doesn't, next time you cast a ballot for attorney general, think about your internet bill. Then think about hiring a new lawyer.