FCC Commissioner Ajit Pai today released a statement on President Obama’s 332-page proposal to regulate the Internet. And he had nothing at all nice to say about it. 
First, Pai criticized the FCC’s decision to not make the document public. He vowed to continue studying the proposal and keep sharing with the public “key aspects of what the plan will actually do.”
But for now, Pai sounds certain that the proposal to reclassify Internet service providers (ISPs) as utilities will cause a number of problems.
He said the proposal will give the FCC the ability to “micro-manage” every aspect of how the Internet works and put all decisions about the future online world in the hands of a bureaucracy instead of the people.
“For that reason, if you like dealing with the IRS, you are going to love the President’s plan,” Pai said in a statement.
Pai also said the plan will help usher in billions of dollars in new taxes that will ultimately result in higher costs for consumers. Likewise, he said new regulations within the proposal will stifle network investment, which will result in slower broadband speeds for consumers.
Pai also accused the proposed Title II regulation of eventually driving smaller players out of the market and leading to a broadband monopoly. He called the plan an “unlawful power grab” that will mire the FCC in the “much of litigation for a long, long time” before eventually being thrown out again.
Finally, Pai said the public is being misled about how much of an intrusion on the Internet economy the proposal will be if put in place.
He’s not alone in his virulent hatred of the proposal. AT&T and Verizon have both hinted toward legal action as a means of blocking Title II reclassification. Industry groups like CTIA have decried the plan over its potential to disinterest investment in mobile broadband networks.
Filed Under: Industry regulations
