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FCC Chairman Frames His Plan For Internet As Boon For Privacy

PHILADELPHIA (CBS) -- The future of the Internet looks a lot like it did before 2015 -- in the eyes of the new boss at the Federal Communications Commission. He's announced his plan to roll back 'net neutrality' regulations imposed toward the end of the Obama administration that supporters argue are designed to keep the web free and open for all.

To sell his idea for ripping up the decision that classified the Internet as a public utility, FCC chairman Ajit Pai invokes the recent high-profile fight over how your personal information could be marketed by web service providers.

"The nation's most expert and experienced privacy regulator [the Federal Trade Commission] will once again be a cop on the beat, protecting America's online privacy," Pai said.

The Republican argues the regulations have cost jobs and have kept lower-income and rural areas behind the times.

"We need rules that focus on growth and infrastructure investment," he said, "rules that expand high-speed Internet access everywhere, rules that give Americans more online choice, faster speeds, and more innovation."

The FCC will vote next month on opening the plan -- which Pai says he'll release in full on Thursday -- for public comment. Opponents say it would allow companies like Comcast and Verizon to speed up or slow down certain sites or services.

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