# Ajit Pai Ajit Pai served as Chairman of the [[FCC]] from 2017 to 2021, appointed by [[Donald Trump]]. A former Verizon associate general counsel, Pai became the most consequential telecom regulator of his era by spearheading the repeal of [[Net Neutrality]] rules in December 2017. The repeal, branded the "Restoring Internet Freedom Order," eliminated Obama-era regulations that had classified broadband providers as common carriers and prohibited them from throttling or prioritizing internet traffic. Pai framed the repeal as a victory for [[Deregulation]] and free-market principles, arguing that lighter-touch regulation would spur broadband investment and innovation. Critics charged that the move handed enormous power to a handful of telecom monopolies and represented a textbook case of regulatory capture — a former industry lawyer dismantling oversight of his former employer's sector. The net neutrality fight became a flashpoint in broader debates over corporate power, internet governance, and the conservative deregulatory agenda. Beyond net neutrality, Pai relaxed media ownership rules, attempted to curtail the FCC's Lifeline program for low-income broadband access, and clashed with congressional Democrats over transparency. His tenure exemplifies the Trump administration's approach to regulatory agencies: install industry-aligned leadership to roll back the administrative state from within.