Pai Defends Net Neutrality Order, in Letter to Democratic Senators

FCC Chairman Ajit Pai responded to a September letter by Massachusetts' Ed Markey, Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, N.Y., and seven other Senate Democrats who jointly urged Pai to start a notice-and-comment proceeding on more than 50,000 consumer net neutrality complaints the agency received ahead of the December net neutrality vote (see 1709210068). “The Commission grounded its decision to restore the bipartisan consensus on light-touch, Title I Internet regulation on a robust factual record,” Pai responded, posted Friday. “After conducting a thorough review of that record, the Commission addressed all significant issues that had been raised.” The FCC specifically addressed the 50,000 complaints referenced by the senators, he said. “Because the Commission did not rely on these informal complaints as the basis for its determination, it does not have an obligation to incorporate materials relating to those complaints into the record.”