There’s a big math problem with the FCC chairman’s main argument for repealing net neutrality

Federal Communications Commission Chairman Ajit Pai says the FCC needs to ditch its network neutrality rules because they’re hindering investment. But there’s no evidence to prove Pai’s argument. In fact, the data that Pai points to doesn’t show anything close to a marked decrease in broadband investment. Instead, it shows that while broadband investment has risen and fallen a little bit over the years, it has been mostly flat since 2013.

Pai’s FCC has ignored much of the data that contradicts his rationale behind repealing net neutrality, said Derek Turner, the author of the Free Press report on broadband investment. The FCC “came into this with a preconceived notion, latched on to data that supported that notion, and ignored every single piece of conflicting evidence,” Turner wrote. There are many ways to measure broadband investment. It’s easy to pick numbers that can bolster either side of the argument about net neutrality. But even when you look at the data most favorable to Pai’s position, it doesn’t prove net-neutrality regulations have resulted in significantly lower broadband investment from telecom companies. At worst, investment has been flat since 2013. At best, it’s increased. It’s a leap in logic on Pai’s part to use two years of cherry-picked data to make the case that broadband is getting worse for Americans because of the net-neutrality rules. But it’s that leap in logic that’s likely to result in the repeal of those rules.