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Pai consistently opposed consumer-protection regulations, including the Net Neutrality rules, during the three-year chairmanship of Democrat Tom Wheeler.

WASHINGTON — According to a report in Politico, President Donald Trump plans to select current FCC Commissioner Ajit Pai as the agency’s next chairman.

WASHINGTON — The Hill reports that President-Elect Donald Trump’s transition team has recommended privatizing the Corporation for Public Broadcasting (CPB), the entity that oversees distribution of federal money to hundreds of public radio and television stations around the country.

“We are at a fork in the road. One path leads forward. The other leads back to re-litigating solutions that are demonstrably working,” Tom Wheeler said in his final public speech as head of the FCC.

WASHINGTON — On Thursday, the House Energy and Commerce Committee Democrats selected Rep. Mike Doyle (D–Pennsylvania) to serve as ranking member on the Subcommittee on Communications and Technology.

Media executives are positively elated about the 2016 election, which, thanks to $2.4 billion in political-ad spending and record ratings, was great for Big Media’s bottom line.

WASHINGTON — On Monday afternoon, Reps. Jared Polis (D–Colorado) and Kevin Yoder (R–Kansas) led a bipartisan coalition in the House to reintroduce the Email Privacy Act H.R. 387, which prohibits law enforcement and other government agencies from searching through electronic communications without a legal warrant.

Big Telecom’s best friend in Congress just got a very big promotion.

Rep. Marsha Blackburn, the arch-conservative Tennessee Republican who has received mountains of campaign cash from the telecom industry, has been chosen by the GOP to lead a key congressional subcommittee with broad jurisdiction over cable, phone and internet issues.

WASHINGTON — Last week, the House Energy and Commerce Committee selected Rep. Marsha Blackburn (R–Tennessee) to chair the Subcommittee on Communications and Technology.

A December panel featuring News Voices: New Jersey Director Mike Rispoli advised New Jersey journalists.