Rumors indicate that Federal Communications Commission Chairman Pai will soon announce a plan to roll back the agency’s landmark 2015 Open Internet Order. Public Knowledge urges President Trump to honor his campaign promises to put Americans before monopolies by preserving net neutrality rules as he nears the end of his first 100 days.
The following can be attributed to Kate Forscey, Government Affairs Associate Counsel at Public Knowledge:
“President Trump came to power promising to drain the swamp and champion the needs of average Americans. Instead, his first 100 days have been a blanket assault on consumer safeguards, with FCC Chairman Pai putting dominant cable and broadband providers first and consumers last. From dismantling online privacy protections to enabling broadband and cable monopolies to continue overcharging consumers about $50 a month, every action Chairman Pai has taken has been in the name of industry consolidation, giving these monopolies new opportunities to raise prices and discriminate against competitors.
“The FCC's landmark net neutrality rules are the strongest foundation to ensure the internet remains a fair, open platform for free speech, job creation, and innovation — all things that Trump claims to value. But his administration's FCC seems intent on torpedoing that. Every indication is that Chairman Pai is on the verge of announcing the details of his plan to gut net neutrality, an assault which would be the capstone of an agenda riddled with industry giveaways at the expense of consumers, competition, and small business.
“Americans rely on the internet to succeed in school, apply for jobs, and start their own businesses — and they rely on the FCC to be the cop on the beat to ensure that access remains fair, open and reliable. If President Trump is serious about keeping his promises to help the forgotten in his first 100 days of office, then he and his administration should think twice about taking hatchets to consumer safeguards like net neutrality and start putting Americans first.”
You can view our latest video, Crumbs for Consumers, for more information on Chairman Pai’s industry giveaways.
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