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Big telecom is going to be back in charge of the internet now that Ajit Pai has the reins of the Federal Communications Commission. An ardent foe of the open internet order that allowed broadband to be regulated like a public utility (the linchpin to net neutrality), the new FCC chairman is preparing to dismantle it.
In a speech in Washington on Wednesday, Pai plans to discuss his vision for net neutrality — keeping open internet principles but getting rid of the utility-style regulatory framework approved by the agency's previous Democratic majority. And he could circulate a notice of proposed rulemaking on the plan to his fellow commissioners on Thursday, sources said. That would set up a vote on the issue at the FCC's May 18 meeting. One industry source said the chairman's goal is to finish the proceeding by this fall. […]
Some sources say his approach this week could simply be to propose doing away with the FCC's regulatory classification of internet service providers and solicit comments on how the agency can keep the net neutrality principles without that classification.
People familiar with Pai's plans spoke anonymously to discuss his actions before they are announced.
Pai has said he supports net neutrality principles, but opposes the regulatory underpinnings of the 2015 Open Internet Order, which gave the FCC greater authority to police the actions of broadband providers by using utility-style regulation.
Supporters say the framework is necessary for the agency to have sufficient oversight over internet service providers, but Pai and telecom industry critics describe it as a heavy-handed power grab that has deterred investment.
What he's hinted at previously is a plan to shift oversight of internet service providers from the FCC and its regulatory might to the Federal Trade Commission, getting big telecom to voluntarily agree to abide by net neutrality. Because that is totally going to happen. Who better to trust to serve the public good and their customers than Comcast? This plan would essentially put enforcement of net neutrality into the courts—if the companies aren't abiding by their voluntary pledges to keep the internet open, customers or presumably public interest groups would have to sue them. And be totally buried in the costs of fighting the very deep-pocketed telecom corporations.
Net neutrality is not going to go down without a massive fight. The Internet Association, the trade group that includes Amazon, Dropbox, eBay, Facebook, Google, Microsoft, Netflix, PayPal, Reddit, Spotify, Twitter, and about 30 other web companies, has already promised that in a face-to-face meeting with Pai. And they’ll have millions and millions of us leading the charge.