The Federal Communications Commission is holding its monthly meeting right now to vote on a handful of new proposals. But right in the middle of one of FCC chairman Ajit Pai’s first speeches, the room broke out on song — he was Rickrolled.
Net neutrality protestors just Rickrolled the FCC’s monthly meeting
‘We wouldn’t sing this to any other Pai’
‘We wouldn’t sing this to any other Pai’
Free Press
is The Verge’s executive editor. He has covered tech, policy, and online creators for over a decade.
The singing came from a group of protestors organized by Free Press, who were there to demand continued support for net neutrality. They put an extremely nerdy twist on Rick Astley’s lyrics — “a common carrier’s what we’re thinking of / we wouldn’t sing this to any other Pai” — before being escorted out by security.
Pai and the other commissioners took the protest in good humor. Pai even sung along (to the actual lyrics) and danced a little. “Being Rickrolled, that’s never a one hit wonder, that’s a lifetime of... yeah,” he said.
The protestors were there in response to reports that Pai plans to, as soon as next month, introduce a proposal to reverse the 2015 net neutrality order. That order imposed strong rules by classifying internet providers as common carriers, subjecting them to strict oversight.
The plan Pai is said to be proposing would be far, far weaker. He wants to undo the common carrier identification and ask internet providers to simply commit not to break net neutrality rules within their own terms of service.
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