Net neutrality has long been in the crosshairs of Federal Communications Commission Chairman Ajit Pai, and on Tuesday, the Republican announced a plan to put an end to what he called the federal government’s “micromanaging” of the internet.
The Obama-era rules, which passed in 2015, will likely be dismantled after they’re put to a vote on December 14 by the Republican-helmed commission.
In short, net neutrality rules treat the internet like a utility, helping to control what consumers are charged and ensuring there is no paid prioritization online.
“Under my proposal, the federal government will stop micromanaging the Internet,” Pai said in a statement. “Instead, the FCC would simply require Internet service providers to be transparent about their practices so that consumers can buy the service plan that’s best for them and entrepreneurs and other small businesses can have the technical information they need to innovate.”
Related: FCC Chairman Ajit Pai Unveils Plan to Kill Obama-Era Net Neutrality Rules
Pai, who voted against the net neutrality rules in 2015 as a commissioner, has long been an advocate for the “light touch” approach that was in place prior to 2015.
“Nothing about the internet was broken in 2015,” Pai said in August, speaking of when the FCC moved to regulate the internet as a public utility under Title II of the Telecommunications Act. “It was all about politics.”
The FCC encouraged consumer feedback on how to proceed — and collected a record 22 million responses before the comment period closed at the end of August.
Pai has said heavy-handed net neutrality rules have led to reduced investment and the axing of 75,000 to 100,000 jobs, such as laying cable and digging trenches to help bring high-speed internet access to rural and low-income areas.
The internet is now regulated under Title II, which was created in the 1930s to regulate the Ma Bell telephone monopoly. By applying these rules to internet service providers, the FCC has more authority to regulate the behavior of internet service providers.
Among the four basic points are not blocking websites for certain users, no throttling, fostering more transparency between consumers and ISPs, and no paid prioritization to move to the front of the line.
“I look forward to returning to the light-touch, market-based framework that unleashed the digital revolution and benefited consumers here and around the world,” he said.
If the rules are dismantled, it will mark a massive win for telecommunications giants, including AT&T, Verizon and Comcast, the parent company of NBC News. The repeal could allow them to charge subscribers more money for access to certain sites and services.