Trump Begins Dismantling Net Neutrality With FCC Appointments

Ever since Donald Trump became the President-elect, there has been a growing unease throughout various progressive groups regarding what he was going to do. One of the sectors threatened by his position is Net Neutrality since the billionaire businessman turned politician has been vocal about his disdain for a free internet in the past. Looking at his recent appointments for positions at the Federal Communications Commission, it would seem that Trump has decided to start dismantling Net Neutrality.

Trump made two appointments in the influential government agency in the form of Jeffrey Eisenach and Mark Jamison, Forbes reports, both of whom are vocal critics of Net Neutrality and are ISP industry insiders. The couple will play a large role in the FCC transition team under Trump, and many are already looking at the development as bad news for internet users.

Eisenach is affiliated with Verizon, which is one of the biggest opponents of Net Neutrality in the industry and an avid champion of allowing ISPs to throttle internet highways in favor of those who pay up. Jamison, on the other hand, was on the payroll of Sprint as a lobbyist for the telco.

Eisenach had actually been part of the Trump team since October, advising the then presidential candidate on telecommunication policies and how to handle the FCC. The announcement of his position is merely a formality, but it still serves to solidify the general direction that the Trump administration will take on the issue of Net Neutrality.

As Tech Crunch notes, there is no word as to what role both of these former ISP lobbyists will have, but it doesn’t really matter at this point. Whether they will have a position at the top of the hierarchy or simply have an advisory role, the two figures will still exert considerable influence with the FCC thanks to Trump’s backing.