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Ajit Pai to Become New Head of the FCC

posted by Fnord666 on Saturday January 21 2017, @01:24PM   Printer-friendly
from the here-we-go dept.

takyon writes:

Several news sites are reporting that Donald Trump is looking to elevate Ajit Pai to head up the FCC:

Ajit Pai, a Republican Federal Communications Commission member and foe of net neutrality regulation, will be named to head the agency, according to a person familiar with the transition.

Pai has often dissented as FCC Democrats voted for tighter regulations, including the 2015 open internet, or net neutrality, decision that forbids internet service providers from unfairly blocking or slowing web traffic. The rule opposed by AT&T Inc. and Comcast Corp. is among those likely to be reversed by president Donald Trump's FCC, according to Bloomberg Intelligence analysts.

Additional information at Politico and Reuters.

Original Submission

 
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  • (Score: 3, Insightful) by bziman on Saturday January 21 2017, @04:17PM

    by bziman (3577) on Saturday January 21 2017, @04:17PM (#456999)

    I like net neutrality, but I understand the desire to eliminate regulations.

    So, if they do away with regulations on net neutrality, they're also going to do away with limits on municipal internet and co-ops, right? They'll reduce regulations to make it easier for new players like Google Fiber, right?

    Otherwise, it isn't libertarian, it isn't for the people... it's just fascist - the laws exist to benefit the specific businesses that own the rulemakers. That isn't so understandable.

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  • (Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Saturday January 21 2017, @04:50PM

    by Anonymous Coward on Saturday January 21 2017, @04:50PM (#457010)

    No, they will NOT be doing away with municipal internet and coops. Why do you even have to ask?

    The restrictions that will be removed are those that favor the big business only. You'll see more costly internet. Slower internet if you don't pay extra (the "fast lanes") and you'll see anything that gains popularity that isn't directly making them a few extra nickels in the process to be blocked/messed with/etc. (Torrent packets are an obvious target - a shame some businesses use those for distributing updates.)

    Also expect to see advertisements served up directly from your provider like they tried to do before by inserting packets into your bandwidth. Expect caps to continue if not come down.

    All the good stuff that net neutrality helps protect people from.

    Basically look at everything the FCC has tried to force isps do for the last 8 years, and flip it.

  • (Score: 3, Interesting) by bziman on Saturday January 21 2017, @05:46PM

    by bziman (3577) on Saturday January 21 2017, @05:46PM (#457024)

    Oh, and if they are allowed to inspect content in order to prioritize some content over other content, does that mean that they're giving up their common carrier status, giving back all of the government subsidies and tax breaks for building out infrastructure, and giving up protection from being liable for criminal activity that happens on their networks?

    I can't wait to see Verizon sued because someone posted libelous comments using their network. Or watch the CEO hauled off to jail because someone transmitted child porn over the network.

    I better go buy a lottery ticket while I'm pretending to feel optimistic.