Ajit Pai facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Ajit Pai
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Official portrait, 2018
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| Chairman of the Federal Communications Commission | |
| In office January 23, 2017 – January 20, 2021 |
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| President | Donald Trump |
| Preceded by | Tom Wheeler |
| Succeeded by | Jessica Rosenworcel |
| Member of the Federal Communications Commission | |
| In office May 14, 2012 – January 20, 2021 |
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| President |
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| Preceded by | Meredith Attwell Baker |
| Succeeded by | Anna M. Gomez |
| Personal details | |
| Born |
Ajit Varadaraj Pai
January 10, 1973 Buffalo, New York, U.S. |
| Political party | Republican |
| Spouse |
Janine Van Lancker
(m. 2010) |
| Children | 2 |
| Education | |
Ajit Varadaraj Pai (born January 10, 1973) is an American lawyer. He was the chairman of the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) from 2017 to 2021. The FCC is a government agency that makes rules for things like radio, TV, and the internet. After leaving the FCC, he became a partner at a company called Searchlight Capital.
Ajit Pai's parents moved to the United States from India. He grew up in Parsons, Kansas. He went to Harvard University and the University of Chicago Law School. Before joining the FCC, he worked as a lawyer for the U.S. government and for a large phone company, Verizon Communications.
In 2011, President Barack Obama chose him to be a commissioner at the FCC. The U.S. Senate approved this choice in 2012. In 2017, President Donald Trump made Pai the chairman of the FCC. He was the first person of Indian American background to hold this important job.
Pai is known for his views on "net neutrality". This is about how internet providers should treat all internet traffic equally. On December 14, 2017, he voted with the FCC majority to change rules that regulated the internet more strictly. He left his position on January 20, 2021, when Joe Biden became president.
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Early Life and School
Ajit Pai was born on January 10, 1973, in Buffalo, New York. His parents, Varadaraj and Radha Pai, came to the U.S. from India in 1971. His father was a doctor who specialized in urology, and his mother was a doctor who specialized in anesthesiology.
Pai grew up in Parsons, Kansas, where his parents worked at the local hospital. He finished high school in 1990. Then, he went to Harvard University and studied social studies. He was also part of the Harvard debate team. He graduated from Harvard in 1994.
After Harvard, he went to the University of Chicago Law School. He worked as an editor for the University of Chicago Law Review. He earned his law degree in 1997.
Career Journey
After law school, Ajit Pai worked for a judge from 1997 to 1998. Then, he joined the U.S. Department of Justice. There, he focused on cases about competition, especially in the telecommunications field.
In 2001, Pai started working for Verizon Communications. He helped the company with competition and regulatory issues. He also advised them on new internet projects. After Verizon, he worked for the U.S. Senate Judiciary Committee and returned to the Department of Justice.
From 2007 to 2011, Pai held several jobs at the FCC. He was a Deputy General Counsel, which meant he helped supervise many lawyers. He worked on rules for wireless, cable, internet, and satellite services. In 2011, he briefly worked at a law firm called Jenner & Block.
Later in 2011, President Barack Obama nominated him to be a commissioner at the FCC. The United States Senate approved his nomination in 2012. He served a five-year term. In January 2017, President Donald Trump chose Pai to be the chairman of the FCC. The Senate approved him for another five-year term in October 2017.
In 2019, a magazine called Modern Healthcare named him one of the 100 most influential people in healthcare. He resigned from his job on January 20, 2021.
Key Policy Ideas
During his time at the FCC, Ajit Pai believed in having fewer government rules for companies. He thought this would help businesses grow and offer better services.
He often talked about how the FCC should be quick to adapt to new technologies. He also wanted the FCC to remove rules that made it hard for companies to invest in new internet and phone networks. Pai also pushed for more wireless spectrum to be available for mobile internet.
In 2014, Pai wrote an article criticizing a plan for the FCC to study how news organizations gather information. He felt it was not the government's role to monitor news practices.
He also raised concerns about a research project that studied how "false and misleading ideas" spread online. He questioned if taxpayer money should be used to monitor people's online speech. The researchers said they were studying how information spreads, not monitoring individuals.
In 2019, the FCC under Pai allowed phone companies to automatically sign up users for services that block unwanted robocalls. Pai said this would help reduce annoying calls.
In 2020, the FCC approved a new easy-to-remember number, 9-8-8, for a suicide prevention hotline. This new number became active in July 2022.
Understanding Net Neutrality
Net neutrality is the idea that internet service providers (ISPs) should treat all data on the internet equally. This means they shouldn't block or slow down certain websites or apps. They also shouldn't charge extra for faster access to some content.
In 2014, Ajit Pai said that the FCC, which is made up of five unelected people, should not be the ones to decide on net neutrality rules. He believed that elected representatives in Congress should make these decisions.
In 2015, the FCC passed rules that classified internet service like a public utility, similar to phone service. This meant stricter rules for ISPs. Pai voted against these rules. He believed these rules were too strict and would hurt internet innovation.
In December 2017, the FCC, with Pai as chairman, voted to remove these stricter net neutrality rules. Pai argued that these rules limited innovation and investment in the internet. He also said that some tech companies were being unfair themselves by blocking content they didn't like.
The day before the vote, Pai appeared in a video that caused some controversy. In the video, he danced and made light of the net neutrality debate.
After the rules were changed, the National Rifle Association of America (NRA) gave Pai an award for his actions. He decided not to accept a special gift that came with the award.
In May 2018, the U.S. Senate voted to try and bring back the old net neutrality rules. Pai was against this, saying that having fewer rules would help more Americans get high-speed internet. This effort to bring back the rules did not pass in the House of Representatives.
Phone Calls for Inmates
Ajit Pai also had views on the cost of phone calls for people in prison. These calls can be very expensive because private companies often have special deals with prisons.
Pai argued that the FCC should not set strict limits on how much these companies could charge. He believed that the FCC was not the best agency to manage these rates for every prison. He wanted a simpler approach to capping prices.
In 2016, a court stopped some of the FCC's rules about these phone call costs. After Pai became chairman, he withdrew the FCC's support for a case that aimed to give the FCC more power over these rates.
Lifeline Program
The Lifeline program helps low-income people get affordable phone or internet services. In 2016, Pai called for an investigation into possible fraud in this program. He believed that some people were signing up improperly and receiving money they shouldn't.
When he became chairman, he stopped some new internet providers from joining the Lifeline program. He said they had not followed the FCC's rules for coordinating with Native American tribal groups.
Sinclair Broadcast Group
The FCC makes rules about who can own TV stations. In 2017, some lawmakers asked for an investigation into whether Ajit Pai's actions favored a large TV station owner called Sinclair Broadcast Group. Sinclair owns many TV stations and often includes conservative news segments in their broadcasts.
The FCC, under Pai, changed some rules about how many TV stations one company could own. These changes could benefit Sinclair. Pai's office said that these claims were "baseless" and that he was just trying to update old rules.
An investigation by the FCC's inspector general found no evidence that Pai acted unfairly or showed favoritism towards Sinclair. The investigation concluded that his decisions were consistent with his past policy views.
In 2018, the FCC under Pai actually ordered a closer look into a proposed merger between Sinclair and another company, Tribune. This was because of concerns that Sinclair might try to illegally keep control of stations it was supposed to sell. President Trump criticized this action, saying he wanted a merged company that would provide a "conservative voice." The merger eventually fell apart.
In 2020, the FCC reached an agreement for Sinclair to pay a large fine of $48 million for some deceptive practices. This ended several FCC investigations into the company.
5G Internet and GPS
In 2020, Pai asked the FCC to approve a plan for a new type of low-power wireless network. This network would help with 5G internet and devices that connect to the internet (Internet of Things).
However, the U.S. Department of Defense had concerns. They worried that this new network could affect the US military's GPS signals.
Section 230 and Online Content
In October 2020, Ajit Pai said he would clarify a rule called Section 230. This rule protects websites from being held responsible for content posted by their users. It also allows them to moderate content.
This discussion came up after President Donald Trump had criticized social media companies like Facebook and Twitter. He felt they were unfair to conservative views after they blocked certain news stories. Section 230 gives social media companies some free speech rights, but they are not considered the same as news publishers.
Personal Life
In 2010, Ajit Pai married Janine Van Lancker, who is a doctor specializing in allergies. They have two children.
In 2017, Pai spoke publicly about how protesters targeted his family because of his views on net neutrality. Signs were put up near his home with messages directed at his children. No specific group took responsibility for the signs, but an advocacy group did leave flyers with his picture and information at his neighbors' homes.
See Also
- Federal Communications Commission
- Net neutrality in the United States
Images for kids
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Official portrait, 2018
