Chairman of the U.S. telecom regulator Ajit Pai addressed the Canadian wireless industry in a video message that closed out the 2017 Canadian Telecom Summit, advocating against heavy-handed regulation in the telecom industry.
“Breakthrough advances are going to come from private sector entrepreneurs, not government policy makers,” said Pai. “We want to empower inventors to bring their ideas to life. Now often that just means getting government out of the way.”
Pai, known for his anti-net neutrality views, focused much of the video on reversing the U.S.’ Title II decision, which regulates against things like paid prioritization, more commonly known as an internet fast lane, that would allow companies with means (many use the example of Netflix) to pay for better service, making entry to the market more difficult for upstart companies.
“America’s approach to broadband policy will be practical, not ideological,” said Pai. “We’ll embrace what works, and dispense with what doesn’t. That means removing barriers to innovation and investment, instead of creating new ones.”
Pai, who once lived in Toronto, also shouted out his “good friend,” former CRTC commissioner Raj Shoan, who has long been embroiled in a harassment controversy at the commission and fired multiple times.
Check out the full address in the video above.
Source: Mark Goldberg
Image credit: FCC via Wikimedia
