Ohio sues to have Google declared a public utility

FILE PHOTO: The logo of Google is seen at the high profile startups and high tech leaders gathering, Viva Tech,in Paris, France May 16, 2019. REUTERS/Charles Platiau

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Ohio asked a court on Tuesday to declare Alphabet's Google a public utility, a step the state's Republican attorney general said would forbid the search and advertising giant from giving preferential treatment to its own products.

"When you own the railroad or the electric company or the cellphone tower, you have to treat everyone the same and give everybody access," Attorney General Dave Yost said in a statement.