Senate confirms FCC Chairman Pai to another term

The Senate voted 52-41 to confirm Ajit Pai to another term as chairman of the Federal Communications Commission (FCC). Pai was approved with support from 48 Republicans and four Democrats: Sens Joe Manchin (D-WV), Claire McCaskill (D-MO), Gary Peters (D-MI) and Jon Tester (D-MT).

Some Democratic Sens vocally opposed his confirmation, hammering him in a series of floor speeches over his efforts to roll back Obama-era regulations, in particular the network neutrality rules. “The FCC is tasked with the critical role of protecting consumers and promoting innovation in the telecommunications and technological fields that are becoming more and more integral to our day to day lives,” Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) said in a statement ahead of the vote. “However, over his time at the FCC and particularly in his tenure as Chairman so far, Mr. Pai has established a clear record of favoring big corporations at the expense of consumers, innovators, and small businesses,” he said.