Report: Trump to Pick Former Verizon Lawyer Ajit Pai to Head FCC Politico claims that Donald Trump has chosen existing FCC Commissioner Ajit Pai to be the new head of the FCC, citing several anonymous sources "familiar with the decision." Pai, a former Verizon lawyer, has been a vocal critic of nearly every pro-consumer policy enacted by the outgoing FCC, whether it was net neutrality, efforts to shore up broadband competition, consumer broadband privacy rules, or attempts to break cable's monopoly over the set top box. Alongside fellow Commissioner Mike O'Rielly, Pai has even voted down numerous efforts to hold AT&T accountable for fraud.

Pai has promised to walk back the agency's net neutrality rules as quickly as possible. "I’m optimistic that last month’s election will prove to be an inflection point -- and that during the Trump Administration, we will shift from playing defense at the FCC to going on offense," Pai said in a speech last month in Washington. "The commission "need[s] to remove outdated and unnecessary regulations... We need to fire up the weed whacker and remove those rules that are holding back investment, innovation, and job creation," added the Commissioner. Said "unnecessary regulations" are expected to include net neutrality protections, the FCC's new broadband privacy rules, efforts to force disclosure on hidden fees and surcharges, and many of the attempts to shore up lack of last-mile and rural broadband connectivity. Trump advisors have consistently stated they want to defang and defund the FCC entirely, eliminating the lion's share of its consumer protection functions. How easy that will be remains to be seen. Especially considering that issues like net neutrality, consumer privacy and holding Comcast accountable have broad, bipartisan, populist support. At one point, Pai tried to claim that the US net neutrality rules would somehow encourage dictators in Iran and North Korea. On another occasion, he tried to claim large ISPs were entirely innocent of anti-competitive behavior, and Netflix was the one violating neutrality simply for operating a CDN. Pai has also repeatedly supported eliminating media consolidation rules, and has historically refused to admit that the US broadband market has any competition issues whatsoever. Politico claims a formal announcement could be made later today, buried under the pomp and circumstance of the inauguration. Politico claims a formal announcement could be made later today, buried under the pomp and circumstance of the inauguration.







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 110 comments



TestBoy

Premium Member

join:2009-10-13

Irmo, SC 54 recommendations TestBoy Premium Member We are screwed. Pai is a psychopath, liar, and industry shill.



More of the same from the Washington establishment that people wanted to get rid of.



I can't say I am surprised. I expected it.

So much for draining the swamp. shmerl

join:2013-10-21 930.5 953.2

43 recommendations shmerl Member The worst shill possible. Pai consistently voted against any meaningful reforms. Is there any way to hold him accountable for corruption? Because no one in their right mind would be doing that out of their own normal choice.



This should be a lesson to those who listen to all this "draining the swamp" brainwashing. Now you get instead "let's pour this toxic waste in". Terabit

join:2008-12-19 32 recommendations Terabit Member Caste culture I am not surprised this tool is a corporate lawyer or that he supports this anti-consumer behavior.



Anyone ever work with a boss from India who is from a Caste background. These Ferengis don't give two s---ts about the worker or the customer. It's ironically the only type of migrant the RWers like.

Anonb79eb

@2602:100.x 29 recommendations Anonb79eb Anon Enjoy Trump voters They say you get the government you deserve. well......

maartena

Elmo

Premium Member

join:2002-05-10

Orange, CA 17 recommendations maartena Premium Member Draining the swamp..... Is this what he means by draining the swamp? Putting in Exxon Mobil and Goldman Sachs CEO's at the highest level of government, and hiring a Verizon LAWYER to head up the FCC?



What could go wrong, right?



(P.S.: That these kind of corporate appointments were going to happen was already known before the election. No voter can hide behind: "We really had no idea!") CyberGuy

join:2006-08-21

Colbert, WA 17 recommendations CyberGuy Member Hopefully he will be forced to resign in disgrace Just pointing out the obvious to "We the People" aka the American CONSUMERS, should be plenty to put this guy in his place! b10010011

Whats a Posting tag?

join:2004-09-07

Bellingham, WA 13 recommendations b10010011 Member a vocal critic of nearly every pro-consumer policy Government by the business and for the business.



Welcome to Trump's America. Papageno

join:2011-01-26

Portland, OR 13 recommendations Papageno Member Given the Triumph* of the Boobocracy today... ...this is the least of the areas where we're going to be, in Bender's words, boned.



*BTW, using the word in the Ancient Roman sense: some folks on the Inaugural committee wanted to do it up "right" with tanks and missiles, Russia and North Korea-style.

C0deZer0

Oc'D To Rhythm And Police

Premium Member

join:2001-10-03

Tempe, AZ 12 recommendations C0deZer0 Premium Member Go on offense? Hell, choosing this guy is already offensive. tabernak93

join:2015-02-16

Oklahoma City, OK 9 recommendations tabernak93 Member Isn't the FCC defanged already? Wheeler made some great efforts, but where are the spoils of those efforts or the FCC's efforts the last 8 years? Caps on wireless plans, caps on wired plans, rural areas under served, mergers, zero rating data, wasted connect America funds, telephone companies walking away from DSL users, spectrum squatting, rising tv channel costs, etc. Can this guy really make it worse?

WHT

join:2010-03-26

Rosston, TX 8 recommendations WHT Member Claims Not Happen "holding back investment, innovation, and job creation," added the Commissioner.



As Karl reported in the past, ISPs have been doing more investing regardless of the current bothersome rules.



There will always be innovation because it is a pathway for more services...That they can screw the consumer with.



Job creation would be minimal. The U.S. is near the saturation point of profitable internet expansion. I said profitable - so rural un-served and under-served areas don't count.



Bottom line is his and every shill before him have no merit, if anything the opposite has happened.



FUD, smoke and mirrors, doublespeak, two-faced, talking out of both sides of mouth...Take your pick to describe it.

GlennLouEarl

3 brothers, 1 gone

Premium Member

join:2002-11-17

Richmond, VA 7 recommendations GlennLouEarl Premium Member Have you seen the movie "Idiocracy"? Well, life follows art.

DataRiker

Premium Member

join:2002-05-19

00000 3 edits 6 recommendations DataRiker Premium Member Who cares when you can't get a job? Hate to be so blunt, but when we are importing 300,000+ Hxx visas every year in the middle end, and unchecked slave labor on the low end from Mexico its hard to put a priority on this. And congress just keeps expanding it every year.



If this is the worst pill I have to swallow to cure the disease of sell out economic refugee labor, give me a double dose.