Trump Jr. doesn’t seem to know dad appointed FCC chair in attempt to slam Obama
Donald Trump Jr. took to Twitter on Thursday to blast people for complaining about the repeal of net neutrality.
In his comments, Trump Jr. suggested that the FCC head, Ajit Pai, was appointed by former president Barack Obama. He also called out the protesters for apparently not knowing anything.
Ironic, considering he got his tweet so very, very wrong.
“I would pay good money to see all those people complaining about Obama’s FCC chairman voting to repeal #NetNeutality actually explain it in detail,” Trump Jr. wrote. “I’d also bet most hadn’t heard of it before this week. #outrage.”
I would pay good money to see all those people complaining about Obama’s FCC chairman voting to repeal #NetNeutality actually explain it in detail. I’d also bet most hadn’t heard of it before this week. #outrage
— Donald Trump Jr. (@DonaldJTrumpJr) December 15, 2017
Here’s the thing: Pai is a Donald Trump appointee.
FCC Chairman Pai was appointed by Obama to a five-year term on the commission in 2012, but last year, Democrats fought hard to keep Pai’s term from being renewed. But in January, Trump appointed Pai as the head of the FCC, so that makes Pai his problem now.
Net Neutrality in jeopardy
Millions of Americans protested the FCC’s decision to repeal net neutrality rules. The decision was made in a 3-2 vote, with Pai voting in the majority despite overwhelming public opposition.
The net neutrality laws were put into place under the Obama administration in order to prevent internet providers from treating any websites or information differently. The Title II protections required that providers like Comcast would give equal access to all sites and information on the internet.
However, with the repeal of these rules, there is real concern that internet providers can charge big sites like Amazon or Netflix a high fee to get better internet access. What’s more, there are worries that “fast lanes” will stifle small businesses and internet entrepreneurs by making it more difficult for smaller sites to get the same access to consumers.
While the FCC decision looks bad for net neutrality, Congress can still step in to nullify the decision. It’s that last ditch option that has millions of Americans calling their representatives and which seems to be the focus of Trump Jr.’s tweet.
