Comcast CEO Roberts Seeks More ‘Permanent’ Footing for Net Neutrality Laws

Perhaps no chief executive lobbied harder than Comcast’s Brian Roberts for the Federal Communications Commission's 2017 rollback of net neutrality rules under Trump-appointed FCC Chairman Ajit Pai. Now that Biden appointee Jessica Rosenworcel is running the agency, and another reversal of course on net neutrality seems likely, Roberts was asked during Comcast’s fourth-quarter earnings call about the fast-shifting political winds. Not surprisingly, Roberts still favors a “light-touch” approach to rulemaking. However, he seemed willing to accept a more lasting outcome that wouldn’t shift every time the White House changed its political party affiliation. “If there's a way to codify that and perhaps put this issue in a permanent, more consistent place, that's certainly a possibility,” he said.