FCC chairman says killing net neutrality was right thing to do
Federal Communications Commission Chairman Ajit Pai on Thursday defended his decision to kill Obama-era net neutrality rules a day after the Senate voted to nullify the rules change.
“The best approach is the light-touch approach,” Pai said as he faced criticism from Democratic members of the Senate Appropriations Committee considering the FCC’s budget. They included Sen. Patrick Leahy, of Vermont, who said Pai showed contempt for the public by not heeding public opinion that favors stronger net neutrality rules.
“You ignored the overwhelming public support — I mean, I’ve never seen such overwhelming public support — for net neutrality,” Leahy said.
Pai said the measure passed by the FCC last year to revoke net neutrality rules would bring more broadband construction. Providers need to report details of handling web traffic to the FCC, and the agency will enforce that requirement aggressively, Pai said.
“We want a free and open internet,” Pai said.
On Wednesday Senate Democrats won a vote to preserve the net neutrality regulations that Pai gutted. The vote was 52 to 47, with three Republicans joining all the Democrats and independents in favor of a resolution to quash Pai’s rule change.
The win could be short-lived, though it may appeal to young voters and boost the party in midterm elections. The measure needs to win a vote in the House where Republicans have a larger majority, and to get a signature from President Donald Trump, who supports the FCC’s action.
Open-internet advocates are challenging the new rule in federal court.