Federal Communications Commission Chairman Ajit Pai poked fun at Democrats for their predictions of what the internet would look like without net neutrality regulations.
“Two years ago today, some Washington politicians promised you that the Internet would slow down,” the chairman wrote on Thursday. “What’s happened since? Average U.S. fixed broadband speeds are UP over 76% according to Ookla. It wasn’t the end of the Internet as we know it — not even close.”
Pai made the comment after sharing a 2018 tweet from the Senate Democrats, which included a prediction of internet slowdowns and the hashtag #savetheinternet. Net neutrality, which set strict regulations for companies that connect consumers to the internet, was repealed not long after Democrats sounded the alarm, but internet speeds for fixed broadband have skyrocketed since.
Two years ago today, some Washington politicians promised you that the Internet would slow down. What’s happened since? Average U.S. fixed broadband speeds are UP over 76% according to Ookla. It wasn’t the end of the Internet as we know it—not even close.https://t.co/nSKdQ2Olt1
— Ajit Pai (@AjitPaiFCC) February 27, 2020
The FCC is currently reviewing the effectiveness of net neutrality rules and is opening the process up for public comment after a court ruling asked the agency to examine the impact of its internet rules.
FCC Commissioner Jessica Rosenworcel has encouraged a return to net neutrality and urged supporters of the measure to register their opinion with the agency.
“The American public should raise their voices and let Washington know how important an open internet is for every piece of our civic and commercial lives,” she said. “The fight for an open internet is not over. It’s time to make noise.”
Former President Barack Obama appointed both Rosenworcel and Pai to the FCC.
