New FCC boss seen as friend to business, not so much to consumers
[Commentary] President Donald Trump named Ajit Pai to take over as chairman of the Federal Communications Commission. Chairman Pai, a Republican, has served on the five-member commission since 2012, and no one questions his smarts or his grasp of complex telecom issues. Unlike some other Trump appointees, this one knows his stuff.
That said, Chairman Pai has a solid track record of favoring deregulation of phone, cable and broadband companies. It’s a sure bet he’ll adopt a more hands-off approach to overseeing the telecom industry than his Democratic predecessor, Tom Wheeler, who believed government regulators have an important role to play in consumer protection. “Pai is the anti-Wheeler,” said Harold Feld, senior vice president of Public Knowledge. “Anything Wheeler tried to do, Pai would be the first to say it went too far.” For consumers, Feld said, a key change will be Chairman Pai renouncing Wheeler’s position that phone rules apply to broadband services — a stance that gave the FCC sweeping authority over high-speed Internet providers. It may sound wonky, but it’s a very big deal.