After President Donald Trump appointed Ajit Pai, an outspoken critic of net neutrality, to head the Federal Communications Commission, many believed we would soon see the end of an open Internet – the policy of “net neutrality” that Internet content should be equally accessible to all users.

It didn’t take long for Pai to make some major changes. His first move was to end an investigation started by former FCC boss Tom Wheeler. The investigation concerned “zero-rating” programs from carriers such as Verizon, AT&T and T-Mobile.

Such programs allow customers to use some services without it affecting their data cap. An example might be that users with a certain plan could play Apple Music without seeing a dent in their data.

In 2015 the FCC informed large Internet service providers that an investigation was underway to ascertain whether zero-rating plans infringed on net-neutrality rules, which might demand that Internet providers don’t give preferential treatment to one particular service.

The FCC’s new boss defended his action in a letter released Friday stating that the zero-rating programs had proved very popular among Americans, especially those with low incomes. Pai also said that zero-rating plans have “enhanced competition in the wireless marketplace.” He said that in the future the FCC would not focus on denying people free data, but will “concentrate on expanding broadband deployment and encouraging innovative service offerings.”

The main opposition to this move is critics who believe the large incumbents always remain on top this way, as users are bound to choose services that don’t affect their data usage. The concept that Internet traffic should be treated equally – net neutrality – doesn’t seem to align with Pai’s decision, according to critics.

While some services being offered for free will woo parts of the Internet-using public – certainly low-income users – another move recently made by Pai may do just the opposite. This is Pai’s decision to prevent nine companies from offering subsidized Internet to low-income users.

This program, called “lifeline,” gave some American households Internet credit for $9.25 a month. Pai has said that one of his mandates is to address the digital divide. Cutting companies from Lifeline may not seem like the best example of dealing with the digital divide, although Pai said the service has been open to “waste, fraud and abuse.”

Photo: Free Press via Flickr