Trump Jr. goes after ‘outrage’ following net neutrality repeal

Donald Trump Jr. went after critics of the Federal Communications Commission’s (FCC) decision to rescind net neutrality rules Thursday, challenging critics to explain net neutrality.

“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. tweeted. “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

The FCC, led by chairman Ajit Pai, voted to repeal its landmark net neutrality rules on Thursday. The vote fell along party lines, with its three Republican members including Pai voting to rescind the rules and its two Democratic members opposing the move.

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Pai, who was appointed to the agency by former President Obama but elevated to the top role under President Trump, praised the vote to repeal the rules Thursday, arguing that the FCC overstepped when it originally enacted the net neutrality protections.

“Following today’s vote, Americans will still be able to access the websites they want to visit. They will still be able to enjoy the services they want to enjoy,” Pai said. “There will still be cops on the beat guarding a free and open internet. This is the way things were prior to 2015, and this is the way they will be once again.”

The FCC voted to repeal the rules despite huge public outcry, and New York Attorney General Eric Schneiderman (D) announced minutes after the vote concluded that he would sue the FCC to block the repeal.

The vote also sparked backlash in Silicon Valley. Netflix issued a statement after the vote ripping the FCC, calling it “misguided” and vowing that the vote was “the beginning of a longer legal battle.”

Facebook’s Chief Operating Officer Sheryl Sandberg also hammered the FCC following the vote and called on Congress to pass a law to permanently enact net neutrality rules.