FCC chairman to brief lawmakers on net neutrality plan

Federal Communications Commission (FCC) Chairman Ajit Pai will travel to Capitol Hill on Friday to brief House members in the wake of his announcement that the FCC will be launching a campaign to dismantle net neutrality.

Pai will hold a bipartisan briefing for the House Energy and Commerce Committee, a panel spokesman said.

On Wednesday, Pai announced in a speech to conservative groups that the FCC would be voting on a opening proceeding to start dismantling the agency’s 2015 net neutrality rules, which require internet service providers to treat all web traffic equally.

{mosads}Ahead of the speech, Rep. Mike Doyle (D-Pa.), who supports the rules, called on Pai to brief Congress on his plans to dismantle the regulations, citing reports that the chairman had met with lobbyists to discuss his intentions.

“Regardless of what was or was not discussed in your meetings, the Commission has a greater duty to brief Congress,” said Doyle, the ranking Democrat on the Commerce technology subcommittee. 

“In response to a letter from my office earlier this year, you noted that ‘the Commission is a creature of Congress, and it is therefore important that we keep Congress informed about what the FCC is doing.’”