FCC chairman to speak at Koch-backed event

Federal Communications Commission (FCC) Chairman Ajit Pai (R) is set to speak at an event in August put on by Americans for Prosperity, a group backed by GOP mega-donors Charles and David Koch.

Pai will give remarks at the organization’s annual “Defending the Dream” summit in Richmond, Va., on Aug. 19, which its website bills as a “conference is the chance for activists, staff and free market leaders to come together and learn how to be more effective advocates for freedom.”

Americans for Prosperity’s free market and conservative ideology squares up with Pai’s. The FCC chairman has called for reducing regulation at the commission in favor of letting the market forces make decisions instead.

{mosads}For example, he plans to scrap Obama-era net neutrality rules that aim to create a level playing field on the internet by barring broadband internet service providers from preferring one type of content over another. Pai says he supports the goal but believes it’s achievable with less regulation.

Americans for Prosperity has praised the chairman’s plan.

“Chairman Pai has long been a leader in identifying these overly burdensome regulations in his industry, and helping ensure those sometimes-complex issues resonate with the public,” Americans for Prosperity President Tim Phillips said in a statement.

Pai in 2015 spoke at a group event while he was still a commissioner at the FCC.

The Koch brothers have drawn scrutiny for their donations to candidates and organizations that support free-market agendas.