Internet service providers are picking “winners and losers” in violation of U.S. net neutrality rules by selectively exempting Web traffic from their monthly data caps, according to a coalition of more than 50 advocacy groups.

The Federal Communications Commission should stop ISPs from exempting selected Web traffic, known as offering zero-rating plans, and enforce its year-old net neutrality rules, the digital rights and consumer groups said in a letter to the agency Monday.

Zero-rating plans “present a serious threat” to the open Internet, the letter said. “They distort competition, thwart innovation, threaten free speech, and restrict consumer choice.”

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