FCC Chairman Ajit Pai intends to keep Net Neutrality on the December 14 Commission agenda for a vote. In an Op-Ed that appeared in the Washington Times on Wednesday, Pai said the repeal of the 2015 rule that re-classified the internet as a utility would “restore the successful, light-touch regulatory framework that governed the internet from 1996 to 2015,” and “get the government out of the business of micromanaging the internet.”
He also stopped by Verizon’s Washington office on Tuesday and spoke before an International Institute of Communications event. Pai noted the “huge gulf between the rhetoric on this issue and the reality.” He said: “Some have tried to whip Americans into a frenzy by making outlandish claims. Feeding the hysteria are silly accusations that the plan will ‘end the internet as we know it’ or threaten American democracy itself.”
Opponents, meanwhile, cite concerns about the amount of fake comments filed to the agency on the issue and the FTC’s jurisdiction over ISPs. Those include FCC Commissioner Jessica Rosenworcel, who on Monday, joined New York Attorney General Eric Schneiderman to ask for the vote to be delayed until the source of the fake comments, estimated to be eight million out of a total of 21 million, and a way to prevent the system from being misused, can be found. Sen. Ed Markey (D-MA), Rep. Anna Eshoo (D-CA) and former FCC Chairman Tom Wheeler on Wednesday urged Pai to put off the vote as well.
Some members of the Wireless Internet Service Providers Association met with Chairman Pai and some of his staff on Tuesday to support the changes. They believe the rollback will eliminate some regulatory uncertainty, reduce unnecessary compliance burdens and help small companies attract additional private capital for bridging the digital divide in rural America.
December 7, 2017
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