The FCC Will Vote to Kill Net Neutrality on May 18 FCC boss Ajit Pai today offered a little more detail on his plan to kill net neutrality. Speaking at an event hosted today by Freedomworks (which, not coincidentally, takes funding from large broadband providers), Pai today offered up a vague guideline of the trajectory his FCC will take to undermine net neutrality. After being introduced by a rotating crop of ISP-funded groups paying endless lip service to "consumers," Pai got to the meat of his proposal.

In short, Pai wants to reverse the FCC's previous decision to classify ISPs as common carriers under Title II, instead leaving ISPs largely free to "self regulate." According to Pai, he intends to issue a Notice of Proposed Rulemaking and vote to begin walking back the FCC's Title II classification at the FCC's May 18 meeting. From there, Pai said the FCC will be fielding public comment on how to preserve the "basic principles" of net neutrality ahead of a full vote to scrap the rules later this year. The FCC head, formerly employed as a Verizon lawyer, has previously suggested replacing hard net neutrality rules with "voluntary" commitments by ISPs -- an idea soundly laughed at by consumer advocates well versed in the behavior of AT&T, Verizon and Comcast. Pai's not going to have an easy time of it. When the net neutrality rules were created, four million comments flooded the FCC, the lion's share in support of net neutrality. And Pai also faces some legal troubles, given he'll need to show that the market has changed substantively enough to justify a massive reversal of FCC policy since the agency's landmark June, 2016 legal win over ISPs. If he can't, his attempt to undo the rules could unravel. Pai knows this, which is why it's possible that he's engaging in a game of good cop, bad cop. Pai could be threatening to kill net neutrality to drum up support for a GOP "compromise" bill that will claim to step in the save the day, but (being inevitably written by AT&T, Comcast and Verizon lobbyists) but packed with so many caveats and loopholes as to be notably worse than no rules at all. Needless to say, consumer advocates don't think much of Pai's plan to kill hard net neutrality rules -- and replace them with a wink, a dream, and some hope that Comcast, AT&T and Verizon will simply play nice. "Ever since Chairman Pai declared that he would take an evidence-based approach to policymaking, he and his allies in the phone and cable lobby have been desperately casting about in search of evidence that supports their anti-Title II ideology," said Free Press Policy Director Matt Wood of Pai's plan. "The fact is that there is none," he added. "Pai knows this but has surrounded himself with political hardliners and alternative facts to wish away the truth about Net Neutrality." Pai stated that he should release the text of the NPRM on Thursday, April 27. From there, it will be up to consumers to make their thoughts clear on the subject once the public comment period opens in May. Pai stated that he should release the text of the NPRM on Thursday, April 27. From there, it will be up to consumers to make their thoughts clear on the subject once the public comment period opens in May.







News Jump California Defends Its Net Neutrality Law; AT&T's Traffic Up 20% Despite Data Traffic Actually Being Down; + more news Are The Comcast-Charter X1 Talks Dead In The Water?; AT&T May Offer Phone Plans With Ads For Discounts; + more news Europe's Top Court: Net Neutrality Rules Bar Zero Rating; ViacomCBS To Rebrand CBS All Access As Paramount+; + more news Verizon To Buy Reseller TracFone For $7B; 5G Not The Competitive Threat To Cable Many Thought It Would Be; + more news MS.Wants Records From AT&T On $300M Project; Google Fiber Outages In Austin, Houston, Other Texan Cities; + more news States With The Biggest Decreases In Speed; AT&T Hopes You'll Forget Its Fight Against Accurate Maps; + more news AT&T's CEO Has A Familiar $olution To US Broadband Woes; EarthLink Files Suit Against Charter; + more news 5G Doesn't Live Up To Hype, AT&T's 5G Slower Than Its 4G; Cord-Cutting Now In 37% of Broadband Households; + more news FCC Cited False Broadband Data Despite Warnings; ZTE, Huawei Replacement Cost Is $1.87B, But Only $1B Allocated; + more Cogeco Rejects Altice USA's Atlantic Broadband Bid; AT&T Is Astroturfing The FCC In Support Of Trump Attack; + more news ---------------------- this week last week most discussed

Most recommended from 69 comments

shmerl

join:2013-10-21 930.5 953.2

4 edits 19 recommendations shmerl Member He wants comments? Let's comment to him to keep hands off hard net neutraility rules. Current corrupted monopolists, and "voluntary" rules don't combine.



A practical question though. How can these comments affect the result? If majority of FCC members are bribed by legacy telecom, would it mean that all these comments are irrelevant? They'll vote according to how their shadow bosses prescribed them anyway. Or comments have some value to prevent that corruption?

KrK

Heavy Artillery For The Little Guy

Premium Member

join:2000-01-17

Tulsa, OK Netgear WNDR3700v2

Zoom 5341J

14 recommendations KrK Premium Member His plan is as bad as it could possibly get... ... zero protections, full monopolies, Industry will "self regulate" and consumers have no privacy nor ways to resolve disputes.

Pay whatever, whenever, or do without Internet.



Welcome to Trump's America. Good job everybody! Bend over and spread 'em! cwcjr

join:2002-08-02

Huntsville, AL ARRIS SB6121

5 recommendations cwcjr Member End of Net Neutrality = end of privacy. The current administration is pandering to his followers, not unexpected. The end of privacy is the end result. Without net neutrality you are subject to the terms and conditions of service that will no longer be restricted by-law for what they can make a condition of use. Side effect is that the USG now can get all that data (on you) without a warrant by getting it from them. elca_bond

join:2011-07-23

Orlando, FL 5 recommendations elca_bond Member Is it just me?? I don't know but I have to say that this guy has the most punchable face in government, followed very closely by Paul Ryan. whatsupdoc (banned)

join:2017-01-08

Mickleton, NJ 4 recommendations whatsupdoc (banned) Member And bye bye Title II also



Pai said he plans to hand regulatory jurisdiction of broadband providers back to the Federal Trade Commission (FTC).



And bye bye Title II common carrier decision too: Pai’s proposed reforms will tackle one of the most controversial portions of net neutrality: the reclassification of broadband providers as “common carriers,” which gives the FCC the authority to regulate them.



»thehill.com/policy/techn ··· utrality The FCC will release the full text of its “Notice Of Proposed Rulemaking” on net neutrality Thursday, which will be voted on at the May 18 FCC open meeting.Pai said he plans to hand regulatory jurisdiction of broadband providers back to the Federal Trade Commission (FTC).And bye bye Title II common carrier decision too: Pai’s proposed reforms will tackle one of the most controversial portions of net neutrality: the reclassification of broadband providers as “common carriers,” which gives the FCC the authority to regulate them.