Speaking of the FCC…
The Federal Communications Commission today announced its plan to deregulate the broadband industry and eliminate net neutrality rules, setting up a December 14 vote to finalize the repeal.
As expected, FCC Chairman Ajit Pai is proposing to reverse the commission’s classification of home and mobile ISPs as common carriers, eliminating the legal justification for the net neutrality rules and numerous other consumer protections. The Republican-controlled FCC is likely to vote 3-2 along party lines in favor of Pai’s plan at its regular monthly meeting in December, ignoring Internet users who voiced widespread support for net neutrality rules.
Pai’s decision is a big win for cable companies, telcos, and mobile carriers that will no longer face regulation of their broadband businesses under Title II of the Communications Act. Pai ignored numerous calls from consumer advocates, website operators, and Internet users who urged the FCC to preserve the rules that force Internet providers to treat all Web content fairly.
Pai was on the losing end of a 3-2 vote in 2015 that imposed Title II regulations, including net neutrality rules that outlaw blocking, throttling, and paid prioritization. He started the repeal process shortly after President Trump appointed him chairman this year.
Today, Pai said that he intends to eliminate the core net neutrality rules while preserving some requirements that ISPs inform consumers about their network management practices.
“Under my proposal, the federal government will stop micromanaging the Internet,” Pai said in a statement today. “Instead, the FCC would simply require Internet service providers to be transparent about their practices so that consumers can buy the service plan that’s best for them and entrepreneurs and other small businesses can have the technical information they need to innovate.”
This is just stupid. There is no good argument for repealing these rules, and Ajit Pai is just wrong.