UNITED STATES—Federal Communications Commission will continue to fight towards the repeal of net neutrality, the basic principle that attempts to make internet service providers treat all web traffic equally.
The telecom industry and Republicans have criticized former President Barack Obama internet policies for internet service providers.
Ajit Pai, President Trump’s new FCC chairman, argues the internet should not longer be treated as a public utility and that companies should be able to compete.
Pai said during an interview with PBS News Hour that he favors a free and open internet, but that his concern is with the particular regulations that the FCC adopted 2 years ago, known as Title 2 regulation; it developed during the 1930s to regulate the mobile telephone monopoly.
“My concern is that by imposing those heavy handed economic regulations on Internet service providers, big and small, we could end up de-incentivizing companies from wanting to build-out internet access to a lot of parts in the country; low income, urban and rural areas for example and that I think is something nobody would benefit from,” said Pai to PBS News Hour.
Most Americans get their internet access via one provider, but there are multiple cable giants including Verizon, Comcast, Charter and Time Warner. Telecom companies provide the infrastructure that delivers the bounty of the web to homes, phones, sites and apps like Google, Facebook, Netflix and Instagram.
The idea of net neutrality is that these telecoms do not get to prioritize which websites or services get to consumers faster or slower.
