FCC Republicans warn of 'fundamental shift' at agency

Partisan tensions over the drafting of new network neutrality rules might not fade so quickly on the Federal Communications Commission. Feb 26’s 3-2 vote on the rules came after months of accusations of misconduct and antipathy from the commission’s two Republicans, and they don’t appear entirely confident that everything can be smoothed over.

“I don’t hold out hopes that we’re going to have many Kumbaya moments going forward, but let’s hope that’s the case,” said Michael O’Rielly, one of the Republican commissions on the five-member FCC. Chairman Tom Wheeler has overseen a “fundamental shift for the agency,” he added, and made no effort to include input from the two GOP commissioners throughout the course of the process. “Here they not only asked us to violate our principles, they ran over our principles,” he added. Commissioner Ajit Pai said, “I like Chairman Wheeler, I get along with him personally and I hope that we have a collaborative spirit going forward,” he said. “But to this point, by and large, Commissioner O’Rielly and I have been shut out on matters of significance.”