FCC Chairman Ajit Pai will step down on January 20
Federal Communications Commission Chairman Ajit Pai will step down from his post on January 20, the day President-elect Joe Biden is inaugurated, he announced Monday.
The announcement means that the FCC could reach a Democratic majority sooner than it would otherwise be able to. Pai's term was slated to expire in June 2021, though Biden will be able to choose a Democrat to chair the commission once in office. Commissioners must be confirmed by the Senate.
[...] Pai's decision to step down could have significant implications on net neutrality, an issue that helped define his term as chairman. In 2017, Pai voted with his fellow Republican commissioners to remove rules that prohibited internet providers from from blocking or slowing traffic to particular sites and offering higher speed "lanes" at higher prices. Many major internet providers have not yet taken advantage of that rule change, however.
Also at 9to5Mac.
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The Federal Communications Commission has scheduled an April 25 vote to restore net neutrality rules similar to the ones introduced during the Obama era and repealed under former President Trump.
"After the prior administration abdicated authority over broadband services, the FCC has been handcuffed from acting to fully secure broadband networks, protect consumer data, and ensure the Internet remains fast, open, and fair," FCC Chairwoman Jessica Rosenworcel said today. "A return to the FCC's overwhelmingly popular and court-approved standard of net neutrality will allow the agency to serve once again as a strong consumer advocate of an open Internet."
[...]
In a filing with the FCC, Turner wrote that "ISPs have been incredibly bullish about the future of their businesses precisely because of the network investments they are making" and that the companies rarely, if ever, mention the impact of FCC regulation during calls with investors."We believe that the ISPs' own words to their shareholders, and to industry analysts through channels governed by the SEC, should be afforded significantly more weight than evidence-free tropes, vague threats, dubious aggregate capital expenditure tallies, or nonsensical math jargon foisted on the Commission this docket or elsewhere," Turner wrote.
(Score: 5, Touché) by Runaway1956 on Monday November 30 2020, @11:57PM (1 child)
I've got a work order to abuse a door. Roughen it up, make it all splintery, and adjust the automatic door closer so that it swings rapidly, and with force.
Hey, Ajit! Please DO let the door hit you in the ass!
We're gonna be able to vacation in Gaza, Cuba, Venezuela, Iran and maybe Minnesota soon. Incredible times.
(Score: 5, Touché) by stretch611 on Tuesday December 01 2020, @02:22AM
You forgot to mention that he should roughly shove one of those extra large ceramic coffee mugs that he likes so much up his ass first so that the door breaks it on impact.
Now with 5 covid vaccine shots/boosters altering my DNA :P
(Score: 5, Touché) by bmimatt on Monday November 30 2020, @11:58PM (7 children)
Happy trails, Ajit. May we never hear of you again.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Tuesday December 01 2020, @12:29AM
Alternate future--
Happy trails, Ajit. Go screw up some other countries internet.
(Score: 5, Insightful) by Rosco P. Coltrane on Tuesday December 01 2020, @02:01AM (5 children)
In fairness, I don't expect much from the next one either. Whichever end of the political spectrum they come from, ultimately US powers-that-be do the bidding of whoever pays them the most - and corporate lobbies showers money left and right indiscriminately.
(Score: 2) by captain normal on Tuesday December 01 2020, @05:45AM (2 children)
Maybe,,,maybe not. I think the big telcom big isps days are numbered.
The Musk/Trump interview appears to have been hacked, but not a DDOS hack...more like A Distributed Denial of Reality.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Tuesday December 01 2020, @02:44PM (1 child)
Why do you say that? It's plausible that a Democratic-led FCC will reinstate net neutrality, but would they really go so far as to try to end ISP monopolies?
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Wednesday December 02 2020, @01:25PM
A Democrat appointed official will likely be as corrupt, but will also be less likely to rig results our stand up to pursue like Pai did. The man should be in prison for the obvious corruption. But, I'm sure he'll get a cushy job working for a telecom.
(Score: 2) by DeathMonkey on Tuesday December 01 2020, @04:40PM
Sure, the guys who implemented Net Neutrality and the guys who destroyed Net Neutrality are the EXACT SAME!
(Score: 2) by Kilo110 on Wednesday December 02 2020, @02:46AM
From what I recall Tom Wheeler did good work. Which is surprising considering he was a former NCTA president.
(Score: 5, Insightful) by PinkyGigglebrain on Tuesday December 01 2020, @12:42AM (5 children)
$GIANT_MEDIA_MONOPOLY announced today that they have brought former FCC Chairman Ajit Pai onto it's board of directors in an advisory capacity that will pay him a HUGE salary and benefits without requiring him to actually do anything. The press release was also quick to point out that Mr.Pai's posting had ABSOLUTELY NOTHING to do with how much Pai helped push the company's agenda while he was with the FCC.
"Beware those who would deny you Knowledge, For in their hearts they dream themselves your Master."
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Tuesday December 01 2020, @01:05AM
Will be a hollow shell of a human for $$$?
(Score: 5, Insightful) by Immerman on Tuesday December 01 2020, @01:05AM
That is how modern political corruption tends to work,yes.
Terribly disappointing from anyone who honors justice - but until we start demanding that our leaders be held accountable it almost certainly won't change. And right now we can't even manage to demand that our leaders enact legislation with 80+% popular support, so I'm not holding my breath.
Still, it's always nice to see those who are especially corrupt leave office to make room for less corrupt officials that won't sell us out as badly. Baby steps.
(Score: 2) by Rosco P. Coltrane on Tuesday December 01 2020, @01:57AM
Let's not forget the bit where Ajit Pai gets rehired as White House press secretary or national security advisor or whatever in the next republican administration for service rendered in $GIANT_MEDIA_MONOPOLY.
(Score: 2) by PiMuNu on Tuesday December 01 2020, @09:36AM (1 child)
The jargon you are looking for is "non-executive director"
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Non-executive_director [wikipedia.org]
(Score: 2) by PinkyGigglebrain on Tuesday December 01 2020, @07:49PM
Noted. Thanks for the tip :)
"Beware those who would deny you Knowledge, For in their hearts they dream themselves your Master."
(Score: 3, Interesting) by mendax on Tuesday December 01 2020, @02:51AM (3 children)
Good riddance to such a vile man. His placement in the Hare psychopathy scale must be very close to Trump's.
It's really quite a simple choice: Life, Death, or Los Angeles.
(Score: 3, Touché) by TheReaperD on Tuesday December 01 2020, @03:32AM (2 children)
As someone that rates very high on that scale, I'm seriously offended to be compared to such vile failures of humanity.
Ad eundum quo nemo ante iit
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Tuesday December 01 2020, @11:54AM
An acquaintance of mine is 10 years into a long term observational alzheimer study where people take all sorts of those 20 question tests along with some longer ones like IQ and such... The study recently switched the Hare scale along with most of the other similar studies to optional since the results were so random and useless they wouldn't have a use for them even outside the scope of the study.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Tuesday December 01 2020, @07:44PM
Thank you for the reminder that not all persons who share commonly-disparaged traits are cut of the same cloth.
(Score: -1, Redundant) by Anonymous Coward on Tuesday December 01 2020, @04:20AM (2 children)
You are a dumb fuckwit; fuck you, fuck you, and fuck you... And fuck anyone who thinks you are remotely likeable. You are a dumb fucking cunt.
(Score: 3, Funny) by Anonymous Coward on Tuesday December 01 2020, @05:45AM
Don't hold back, friend. Tell us how you really feel.
(Score: 3, Insightful) by Runaway1956 on Tuesday December 01 2020, @03:39PM
Not much argument here, but "dumb" seems to be misplaced. Misplaced in it's literal sense, since we all hear the garbage that flows out of his mouth. Misplaced in the figurative sense, since he has managed to prostitute himself for decades, thereby amassing a small fortune which will support him comfortably for the rest of his life. "Evil" might be a better descriptor than "dumb".
We're gonna be able to vacation in Gaza, Cuba, Venezuela, Iran and maybe Minnesota soon. Incredible times.