Newly Appointed FCC Chairman To Give First Major Policy Address In Pittsburgh
PITTSBURGH (NewsRadio 1020 KDKA) - President Donald Trump's appointee to head the Federal Communications Commission is in Pittsburgh today. He will make his first policy address to the Pittsburgh Technology Council along with faculty and students at Carnegie Mellon University.
FCC Chairman Ajit Pai says it's time to get broadband service to the 10 percent of Americans who lack access to standard broadband internet service. That jumps to 40 percent in rural areas.
Pai tells the "KDKA Morning News" he favors a return to less regulation.
"We had an approach that said if there's a problem in the marketplace, let's take targeted action to solve it, but otherwise we don't want the government taking preemptive regulation to apply to the entire industry," says Pai.
Pai is opposed to net neutrality rules passed under the Obama Administration.
He adds that old rules governing media may no longer apply in an era when viewers get their news and entertainment over multiple platforms.
"All the [viewers] think about is 'okay, this is a video product and I want to watch it, wherever I want to watch it, whenever I want to watch it,'" says Pai.
Pai's visit to CMU according to a press release, "will discuss how the federal government can encourage investments in next-generation networks and innovation throughout the internet ecosystem so that all Americans can benefit from the digital age."
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