Federal Communications Commission Chairman Ajit Pai's plan to erase the net neutrality rules enacted under former President Barack Obama is already causing debate among lawmakers, companies, and advocacy groups on both sides of the issue.
Under federal regulations passed in 2015, all internet traffic in the United States is treated equally. The rules also classified cable and wireless companies as common carriers, which allow the government to place its own set of regulations on them.
According to The Wall Street Journal, Pai's plan to press the rewind button and soften the Obama-era net neutrality rules could lead to a fierce fight in the nation's capital.
"This will touch off another huge political firestorm," Lawrence Spiwak of the conservative think tank the Phoenix Center for Advanced Legal and Economic Public Policy Studies told the Journal.
One advocacy group, the Internet Association, wants to keep the regulations in place and, according to the Journal, planned to meet with Pai on Tuesday. Others, such as Republican lawmakers and telecommunications companies, feel the regulations go too far and should be rolled back in some form.
President Donald Trump has erased several Obama-era rules from the federal books, and a report during the presidential transition claimed net neutrality would fall victim as well.
Pai also wants to kill a proposal that would have allowed airline passengers to use cell phones during flights.
"I do not believe that moving forward with this plan is in the public interest," he said.
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