The sole Democrat on the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) says she is “uncomfortable” with the plan that FCC Chairman Ajit Pai is reportedly promoting to dismantle net neutrality.
In a Tuesday interview with Axios, Mignon Clyburn said she didn’t think the rules should be replaced with voluntary commitments from internet service providers to maintain a free and open internet.
{mosads}”You’ve heard me say this dozens of times, about the internet and broadband being one of the greatest equalizers of our time, and what it enables,” she said.
“And something that important, for a handful of entities saying this is how it’s going to be done, I’m a little bit uncomfortable [with] that. I haven’t seen anything, but just the promise of that makes me feel a little uncomfortable.”
The net neutrality rules require internet service providers to treat all web traffic equally. Pai opposes them because they reclassified those companies as common carriers, which opened them up to tougher regulation from the FCC.
Pai’s plan, which could be unveiled in a speech Wednesday, reportedly involves undoing that reclassification in exchange for the companies implementing net neutrality principles in their terms of service contracts.