FCC Pivots Back to Obama Era

The transition of the Chairmanship of the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) from Ajit Pai to Jessica Rosenworcel presents the country with a sea change in telecommunications policy.

Whereas Former Chairman Pai dedicated the FCC to a successful deregulatory agenda, Acting Chairwoman Rosenworcel has indicated her intentions to return the FCC to the big government approach of the Obama era. Particularly with regards to “Net Neutrality” rules, the return to these policies will be damaging for internet service providers (ISP’s), and for the telecommunications industry as a whole.

Hopefully, Acting Chairman Rosenworcel will take a page or two from Former Chairman Pai’s playbook and support a more laissez-faire approach to telecommunications in order to support efficient broadband deployment and innovation in the telecommunications industry. After all, it was in no small part because of Former Chairman Pai’s policies that Americans were able to stay online as demand soared at the beginning of the COVID-19 lockdown. Continuing this approach is imperative to both the rollout of 5G and the future development of the internet and its infrastructure.

Pai vs. Rosenworcel by Luke Hogg on Scribd