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Looks like repealing net neutrality wasn't enough:

Look for yourself:

What do you think? Is this as bad as it sounds?

Looks like someone needs a change of heart!

WIRED is doing everything they can to make it as bad as it sounds. But if you actually bother looking at the links they use it starts to make more sense.

First some context, a few years ago the FCC redefined what "broadband" is – essentially making the standard for that definition significantly higher than what was considered broadband by the market. As such, they use the new baseline threshold.

Second, the articles mentions that Ajit Pai "has portrayed" the Lifeline program as corrupt, although, if you actually look at the PDF they linked the complaints themselves seem legit: abuse of the subsidy system in tune of millions of dollars.

Third, it seems WIRED is doing a great job at trying to beef up the necessity for the lifeline program in terms of the internet, however, i fail to see the cost-benefit analysis at all, and there has been no mention of the amount of people the program actually helps.

Fourth, the ending sentence concludes the very heart of the issue "When asking your member of Congress to save net neutrality, ask him or her to save Lifeline, too."

This seems less and less as an actual analysis of what Ajit Pai's efforts would actually do – and more and more a political ad disguised as a WIRED opinion piece.

@Chewybunny Good points but doesn't this seem fishy to you? Originally it was just net neutrality, now he is doing this, whats next? Lets remember he is a known shill so pretty much everything he does is for the benefit of internet providers so the fact he keeps going to favor their interests seems worrysome, I mean repealing lifeline is clearly in the interest of Viacom and others.

I don't think it's fishy. I think it's sad. It's sad that the net-neutrality debate is in essence a fight between corporations who would use government power and public panic to gain a financial advantage, with Ajit Pai failing utterly to fight against the informational power of social media.

>Lets remember he is a known shill so pretty much everything he does is for the benefit of internet providers so the fact he keeps going to favor their interests seems worrysome,

Oh please. Let's drop the pearl-clutching pretense. The opposition here is no better, and arguably far more sinister. You don't think Facebook, Apple, Google, and Amazon stand to benefit from net-neutrality? They are the biggest proponents of it, and have been it's biggest advocates for a reason: it's them who'll pay more. Not you. Verizon, Comcast, yeah they are shitty, but they don't control information like the big four do.

>I mean repealing lifeline is clearly in the interest of Viacom and others.

How does it clearly interest Viacom? The lifeline program was a subsidy. Viacom would get paid regardless, and in fact, Viacom would benefit from this program because it allows for a bigger pool of customers.

If it's something Ajit Pai wants, then screw him. That's my take on it at least. Guy wants to shitpost instead of having any sort of debate on these topics, then he can just take his hush money to the shitposting grave as far as approval or support goes.

The same Ajit Pai being investigated for enacting favorable policies towards Sinclair Broadcasting, who is gobbling up local TV subsidiaries?