Trump Picks Net Neutrality Critic Ajit Pai to Head the FCC

By Lynn Palec, | January 25, 2017

 The appointment will also not require any congressional approval as Pai is a current FCC commissioner. (YouTube)

The appointment will also not require any congressional approval as Pai is a current FCC commissioner. (YouTube)

US President Donald Trump has picked senior Republican member of the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) Ajit Pai to head the regulatory agency. The appointment was confirmed by the FCC on Monday.

The appointment will also not require any congressional approval as Pai is a current FCC commissioner.

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Pai will replace Tom Wheeler, who announced last month that he would vacate his office after Inauguration Day. The Republicans will hold a two-to-one majority in the FCC now that Wheeler has left, according to The Verge.

Pai has served as an FCC commissioner since 2012. Compared to Wheeler, who is a known advocate for net neutrality, Pai is likely to set a completely different agenda compared to his predecessor. Pai, who was also a Verizon lawyer and Justice Department employee, prefers a more hands-off approach to the regulatory body which he now heads.

Pai has opposed some of the FCC's major reforms, including the net neutrality regulations which were passed in 2015. Pai also opposed the recently approved broadband privacy protections. Pai has reiterated that the Open Internet Order, which created net neutrality, will most likely be reversed or overturned.

In a statement acquired by Wired, Pai said, "We need to fire up the weed whacker and remove those rules that are holding back investment, innovation, and job creation."

Pai's appointment as head of the FCC has caused a stir among open internet advocates, with some of them stating that regulations created to keep the Internet open might be reversed now that there is a new head of the FCC. Following Pai's appointment, some consumer advocates have urged him to keep current consumer protection laws and prevent large corporate interests from fleecing consumers with inappropriately priced services.

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