Why we should be wary of ending net neutrality | Emily Bell

Rolling back net neutrality laws is just part of Trump's giant experiment in media deregulation with little protection for the consumer

"Do you want [the internet] to be governed by engineers and entrepreneurs, or do you want it governed by lawyers and bureaucrats here in Washington?" That was the question asked to the American public by Ajit Pai, chair of the Federal Communications Commission, when he appeared on Fox News last week to talk about his intention to change the way access to the internet is regulated.

The dark intonation of the words "lawyers and bureaucrats" left the viewer in no doubt that Pai's rollback of laws governing what is known as "net neutrality" could only be a good thing. Who better to decide the communications infrastructure of a country than a group of wealthy telecoms companies in an almost competition-free environment?