Public Knowledge : ..its the plan of 4 mill Americans..

Yesterday, FCC Commissioner Pai held a press conference to denounce the plan that the FCC developed after hearing from over 4 million Americans, attempting to dismiss it as "Obama's plan." Commissioner Pai believes that "Obama's plan" is the result of improper presidential involvement with the FCC's decision-making process and, as a result, should be ignored.

But let's look at the real facts:

       

Every President in the last 30 years has weighed in publicly with the FCC on issues of national importance. It did not violate the FCC’s independence when President George W. Bush publicly called for Chairman Michael Powell to vote on deregulating media ownership, or when President Bill Clinton wrote a public letter to Chairman Reed Hundt to ban hard liquor advertising on television. It also did not violate the FCC’s independence when President Ronald Reagan asked Chairman Mark Fowler to drop his proposal to rescind the Financial Interest and Syndication Rules. Similarly, President Obama has not violated the independence of the FCC by making his support for strong net neutrality rules under Title II public.

Commissioner Pai's remarks are an insult to the American people. People who have participated in the net neutrality debate in unprecedented numbers and spoken with unmistakable clarity across the political spectrum.

Chairman Wheeler’s proposed order reflects the demands of the American people, and Public Knowledge stands behind him as the fight continues for an open, fast, and fair internet.