---
date: 2017-02-04
draft: false
title: Trump FCC chair begins dismantling consumer protections and subsidies
tags: ['politics', 'net neutrality']
---

**[Ars Technica:](https://arstechnica.com/tech-policy/2017/02/fcc-rescinds-claim-that-att-and-verizon-violated-net-neutrality/)**

> "The Federal Communications Commission's new Republican leadership has rescinded a determination that AT&T and Verizon Wireless violated net neutrality rules with paid data cap exemptions. The FCC also rescinded several other Wheeler-era reports and actions."<!-- excerpt -->

We're barely two weeks into the new presidential administration, and it looks like net neutrality will be yet another casualty of this administration's drive to strip away consumer-friendly regulations.

If a ruling or judgement is good for telecoms or ISPs it is very likely bad for customers. This is one of those cases.

[The FCC also took steps to scale back benefits provided by the Lifeline program to low income consumers:](https://www.washingtonpost.com/amphtml/news/the-switch/wp/2017/02/03/the-fcc-is-stopping-9-companies-from-providing-subsidized-broadband-to-the-poor/)

> "Regulators are telling nine companies they won't be allowed to participate in a federal program meant to help them provide affordable Internet access to low-income consumers — weeks after those companies had been given the green light."

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