In a news conference, Sean Spicer, the White House spokesman, mentioned the net neutrality rules affecting telecommunications and cable internet services, noting
that the Obama administration had “reclassified them as common carriers.”
Mr. Spicer said President Trump had “pledged to reverse this overreach.” The Obama-era rules, Mr. Spicer said, were an example of “bureaucrats
in Washington” placing restrictions on one kind of company — internet service suppliers — and “picking winners and losers.”
Telecommunications and cable television companies fought being classified as common-carrier
utility services, which are subject to anti-blocking and anti-discrimination rules.
Net Neutrality Is Trump’s Next Target, Administration Says -
By STEVE LOHRMARCH 30, 2017
The Trump administration served notice on Thursday
that its next move to deregulate broadband internet service companies would be to jettison the Obama administration’s net neutrality rules, which were intended to safeguard free expression online.
The net neutrality rules, approved by the Federal Communications Commission in 2015, aimed to preserve the open internet and ensure
that it could not be divided into pay-to-play fast lanes for web and media companies that can afford it and slow lanes for everyone else.
Since becoming chairman, Mr. Pai has indicated that he plans to either roll back or decline to enforce many consumer
protection regulations created during the Obama administration, including those regarding net neutrality.
Mr. Pai voted against the net neutrality rules as a commission member in 2015.
