FCC head knocks tech companies for bias

NEWYORK (AP) — The head of the Federal Communications Commission defended his plan to relax Internet regulations on Tuesday.

There has been constant media coverage since Chairman Ajit Pai last week unveiled his plan to roll back the Obama-era net neutrality rules, which increased government control of broadband providers. Tech companies, including Airbnb, Etsy and Twitter, sent him a letter in support of the current rules. Some Hollywood celebrities are speaking out against his proposal.

Pai asserted in a Tuesday speech that internet companies are “a much bigger actual threat to an open internet” because they choose what people see on their services.

He called out Twitter specifically, for taking action — such as suspending accounts or removing their “verified” status — against conservatives more frequently than liberals.

Pai also noted that Twitter had blocked Rep. Marsha Blackburn, R-Tenn., from advertising a campaign video, which he said was because it “featured a prolife message.” Twitter said that it doesn’t want to expose

users to “potentially distressing” ads. Twitter later decided to let Blackburn advertise the video, in which she says that she “stopped the sale of baby body parts.”

Pai also said he was calling out criticisms from Hollywood because of celebrities’ “large online followings” that “give them outsized influence in shaping the public debate.”

He said comments by Cher, Mark Ruffalo, Alyssa Milano and George Takei in support of net neutrality were “absurd” and replied to them in his speech.