FCC Chairman Pai met with Facebook and others to discuss net neutrality changes to come

Federal Communications Commission Chairman Ajit Pai visited executives at Facebook, Oracle, Intel and other tech giants in Silicon Valley on April 17, as he considers how he might rethink and replace the agency’s hotly contested network neutrality rules. Speaking to reporters April 20, Chairman Pai stressed he’s been “consistent” in his view that he “favor[s] a free and open internet and that I oppose Title II,” a reference to the portion of law that Democrats tapped in order to subject the likes of AT&T, Comcast and Verizon to utility-like regulation. “Outside of the context of any pending proceeding, I’ve been simply soliciting thoughts on how to secure the online consumer protections that people have talked about,” Chairman Pai said. A spokesman for Chairman Pai did not immediately respond to a request for more details about the meeting. Chairman Pai himself did not provide further information about his consultations when asked at a press conference following a series of votes April 20 that relaxed regulations on the telecom industry.