FCC Commissioner Ajit Pai had harsh words for Chairman Tom Wheeler’s net neutrality plan. Pai, who is one of two republicans serving on the FCC, clams the public is being misled about how onerous and controlling the plan truly is.
Pai said, “Through broad and vague rules, President Obama’s plan gives the FCC the power to micromanage virtually every aspect of how the Internet works.”
Pai made a number of accusations about Obama’s plan. He said it opens the door to billions of dollars of new taxes on broadband; contains rate regulation (even though Wheeler said it doesn’t); will steadily increase regulation over time; will be a boon to trial lawyers and will lead to more litigation; will reduce competition and decrease consumer choice; and will slow broadband speeds for American consumers and the deployment of high-speed broadband.
Republicans have already made a number of threats against the net neutrality regulations, and Pai has joined a growing chorus of lawmakers speaking out against the rules. Wheeler has not yet made the rules public. The FCC is expected to vote on them Feb. 26 at its next open meeting.
