< p>TUPELO, Miss. (AP) — A Mississippi utility regulator says he's will challenge a new law that removes most of the state's remaining regulatory authority over AT&T.

Brandon Presley, who represents north Mississippi on the Public Service Commission, tells the Northeast Mississippi Daily Journal (http://bit.ly/Nm0I2M) that he'll file a lawsuit as a private citizen in Hinds County Circuit Court.

House Bill 825 became law Sunday. It ends the PSC's rate-setting power for 30,000 local-only landlines. It also ends AT&T's obligation to serve as carrier of last resort for landline customers in its traditional territory.

PSC members and others fought the bill, saying it could hurt rural residents and senior citizens.

AT&T says it wants to be freed from rules competitors don't face. The Dallas-based firm is pushing similar bills in other states.

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Information from: Northeast Mississippi Daily Journal, http://djournal.com