Trump To Name Net Neutrality Foe Ajit Pai As FCC Chairman

President Donald Trump is expected to name current FCC Commissioner Ajit Pai as his pick to lead the Federal Communications Commission, Politico reports.

As a Republican member of the FCC’s five-person commission, Pai has been a vocal opponent of telecommunications issues such as net neutrality. In a speech to the conservative Free State Foundation think tank last year, Pai described net neutrality as a “regulatory overreach” and promised to roll back many of the policies approved by the Obama commission. Via the Center for Responsive Politics, Pai and fellow Republican commissioner Michael O’Rielly pushed for a delay on the agency’s net neutrality vote in 2015 over transparency concerns.

Pai would replace outgoing chairman Tom Wheeler, who announced he would step down from the role in December 2016. Wheeler played a major role in the FCC’s protection of net neutrality in 2015.

Pai has been with the FCC since 2012. As Politico notes, Pai could immediately take the role without Senate confirmation, because he was previously approved to work at the FCC. Since Pai’s term ends in 2017, the commissioner would need to be reconfirmed this year if he were to take the head role at the FCC.

Pai’s slated move to lead the FCC likely puts net neutrality on unstable footing. Along with Wheeler, Democratic commissioner Jessica Rosenworcel will depart the FCC, which leaves the traditional five-person council with a 2 to 1 Republican split. Trump administration officials will fill the remaining slots on the FCC, but several members of the transition team are notable opponents of net neutrality.