Consumer Groups Want FCC Boss Ajit Pai Fired

Efforts have begun to try and derail the planned re-nomination for current FCC boss Ajit Pai. Pai has been an indisputably anti-consumer ally of large broadband ISPs since taking office earlier this year. His major policy efforts have involved killing FCC plans to make the cable box market more competitive, helping derail privacy protections for broadband consumers, lowering the base standard of broadband (to help hide a lack of competition in the market), helping prison phone monopolies rip off inmate families, and making it harder for the poor to get access to decent broadband.

That's before you even get to the Pai FCC's ham-fisted attempts to downplay massive public opposition to killing net neutrality, which has ranged from making up completely a bogus DDoS attack , to freely allowing scammers and frauds to crap all over the FCC proceeding comment system

Anyone surprised by these positions hadn't been paying attention. Pai's previous tenure as a regular Commissioner under FCC boss Tom Wheeler repeatedly involved a wholesale refusal to stand up to incumbent carriers on any subject of substance. Pai even voted down punishing AT&T for repeated instances of fraud.

Needless to say Pai may be one of the least popular FCC Commissioners in history, especially given that subjects like privacy and net neutrality have broad, bipartisan support among consumers. As such, consumer advocates like Free Press have begun gathering signatures on a petition to fire Pai, who needs a re-confirmation vote from the Senate in order to continue serving on the FCC.

"Since he joined the Commission, he's worked to undo policies designed to protect Internet users, communities of color and poor people," complains the group. "While he's supposed to protect the public interest, he's continuously voted against it and sided with the deep-pocketed corporations -- like Verizon -- that once employed him. He's failing at his job. And that means we need the Senate to fire him," Free Press added. "And we have an opportunity. The Senate has to vote to re-confirm Pai by the end of the year or he's out."

Pai's first term at the FCC ended last June, though under FCC laws he's allowed to stay on until the end of 2017. When President Trump appointed Pai to head the agency, it involved re-nominating Pai for a new five year term. But Pai needs to be confirmed via Senate vote, which reports indicate could happen withiin a week. And while most expect the GOP to rubber stamp his re-nomination, Democrats say they plan to take their time with the process in the hopes of further highlighting Pai's extremely anti-consumer positions.

"This debate on net neutrality, on privacy, is at a defining historical moment, and we have to ensure there is a full public debate so everyone can understand its importance," said Senator Ed Markey of the plan.