Ajit Pai, the Republican chairman of the Federal Communications Commission (FCC), announced on Tuesday that the FCC will vote to roll back Obama-era net neutrality rules that require internet service providers to treat all web traffic equally. Pai in a statement blasted the rules as “heavy-handed, utility-style” regulation of the internet imposed by Democrats.
Today, I have shared with my colleagues a draft order that would abandon this failed approach and return to the longstanding consensus that served consumers well for decades,” Pai said. “Under my proposal, the federal government will stop micromanaging the Internet.”
“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,” he said.
The commission will vote on the proposal at its Dec. 14 meeting. With Republicans holding three of the FCC’s five seats, the repeal is expected to pass.
Pai said he would release the full text of his plan to the public on Wednesday, but he made clear that he believes the Federal Trade Commission is better equipped to police internet service providers than the FCC.