US telecom watchdog gets chairman who opposes net neutrality
US President Donald Trump has appointed a new chairman of the Federal Communications Commission. The telecom watchdog is led by Ajit Pai, an outspoken opponent of net neutrality.
The new chairman is a reliable conservative for Trump who opposes almost all the major decisions the FCC has made in recent years during the reign of former President Barack Obama. That writes The Verge. Pai is not only an opponent of net neutrality, he is also not a proponent of protecting consumer privacy and is not opposed to major mergers in the US cable market. In a December speech, Pai shares some of his views.
During the summer of last year, Pai, then the FCC’s highest-ranking Republican committee member, already announced that net neutrality regulation is one of the first FCC rules to disappear under Trump. Pai says he wants to remove old-fashioned and unnecessary rules because these regulations would hinder business investment, innovation and job creation. With this, Pai presents himself as a classic Republican who represents corporate interests and wants to stimulate an open and free market through deregulation.
The new chairman believes that net neutrality is a solution to a non-existent problem. Internet providers who, as gatekeepers, can help determine what users see and do on the Internet and whether or not they can treat certain types of Internet traffic with priority, is not an undesirable situation in Pai’s view. According to Reuters, in 2015, Pai said that net neutrality leads to higher internet bills and a slowdown in broadband internet development.
pais appointment at the FCC ends this year, meaning the U.S. Senate must reappoint him if Republicans want to keep Pai as president of the organization. Upon reappointment, Pai may remain as chairman for a period of five years.
Prior to joining the FCC, Pai was a lawyer who worked in multiple agencies and departments within the government. Between 2001 and 2003, Pai was a legal counsel at Verizon, focusing primarily on antitrust law and regulation in general.