The Senate vote to give Federal Communications Commission Chairman Ajit Pai another term on the FCC yesterday went mostly along party lines, but four Democrats joined with Republicans to approve Pai's re-nomination.

Three of those Democrats explained why to Politico in a report this morning.

"I disagree with [Pai] on net neutrality, but the president has a right to the chairman because he won the election," Sen. Claire McCaskill (D-Mo.) said. McCaskill also said she has a good working relationship with Pai on the Lifeline program, which gives poor people subsidies for phone service or broadband. McCaskill and Pai have both focused on reducing waste and fraud in the program.

"I have worked with him closely on the Lifeline issues and found him to be easy to work with on those issues—and he's qualified," McCaskill told Politico.

The final vote was 52-41 in favor of Pai's re-nomination. Pai received yea votes from 48 Republicans while all 41 nay votes came from the Democratic caucus. Seven senators did not vote (full results are here).

It's common for commissioners to get broad bi-partisan support in the Senate even if their policies are opposed by one of the two major parties. All nominations must come from the White House regardless of party; Republican presidents nominate Democratic commissioners based on suggestions from Senate Democrats, and vice versa. Pai, a Republican, gained his seat on the commission in 2012 after a nomination from President Obama and a voice vote in the Senate.

President Trump elevated Pai to the chairmanship in January and then nominated him for another five-year term retroactive to July 1, 2016.

But this time around, Democrats made Pai's proposed rollback of net neutrality rules a key issue in their mostly united front against giving Pai another term. The rules prevent ISPs from blocking or throttling lawful Internet content and prohibit providers from charging websites or other online services for "prioritization." Some Democrats also blasted Pai for scaling back a Lifeline expansion that was set in motion during the Obama administration, saying Pai is making it harder for poor people to buy subsidized broadband service.

Broadband access is key, but net neutrality still a concern

The other Democrats who voted to re-confirm Pai are Joseph Manchin (D-W.V.); Gary Peters (D-Mich.); and Jon Tester (D-Mont.). Manchin and Peters said they want Pai's help with broadband deployment, according to Politico:

"I just need a lot of help in West Virginia, and he's been moving in that direction," former Commerce Committee member Manchin said, lauding Pai's work in "trying to get the rural broadband fund moving." Pai is "working with us," Manchin said. Peters also mentioned rural broadband, singling out Michigan's Upper Peninsula as an area in need: "I found him very receptive to ways to expand broadband access."

Manchin and Peters both said they are concerned about net neutrality despite their votes. Peters said that he "will hold [Pai] accountable" to try to make sure that the Internet remains "free and open."

We contacted Tester's office this morning about his Pai vote and will update this story if we get a response. Tester has opposed the FCC's proposed rollback of net neutrality rules.

UPDATE: Tester responded to Ars with this statement: "At a time when too many rural communities don’t have access to reliable Internet or phone service, we need an FCC chairman who understands the challenges of frontier America and is ready to tackle them head on. I will be holding Chairman Pai accountable to ensure that he protects access to a free and open Internet, while also delivering on his commitment to Montana and rural America."

Pai's previous term on the commission expired in June 2016, but the FCC's rules allowed him to stay until the end of 2017 regardless of the status of his re-nomination. Yesterday's vote likely ensures that Pai will remain the FCC chairman until at least the end of President Trump's current four-year term. While all five commissioners must be approved by the Senate, the president alone decides which of the five serves as chair.

Cable industry celebrates

Meanwhile, Comcast and other broadband providers are excited about Pai's re-confirmation and the chairman's deregulatory agenda.

"Throughout his over five years at the FCC as a commissioner and during his nine-month tenure as chairman, Ajit Pai has favored deregulatory policies aimed at encouraging innovation, investment, job creation and economic growth—all in an effort to best serve consumers," Comcast Senior Executive VP David Cohen said in a statement. "We look forward to continuing to work with him and the full slate of FCC Commissioners, to modernize regulation while ensuring that every effort is made to connect all Americans."

Cable lobby group NCTA also weighed in, with CEO Michael Powell saying that "Chairman Pai has consistently demonstrated a thoughtful approach to policymaking that promotes consumer welfare through marketplace competition and innovation."

Pai's critics strongly disagree. His re-nomination had drawn a "fire FCC Chairman Ajit Pai" petition from consumer advocacy group Free Press, and Sen. Ron Wyden (D-Ore.) said that Pai "has a long track record of putting big cable before consumers, big corporations above small businesses and pay-to-play over the free and open Internet."

Pai "is very smart, and he is qualified," Sen. Brian Schatz (D-Hawaii) said in floor debate last week. But instead of expanding broadband access, Pai has proposed lowering the country's broadband standards so that the FCC can claim success without any improvements, Schatz argued. "He is not the right leader for the FCC," he said.