US Federal Communications Commission (FCC) chairman Ajit Pai defended the regulator’s 2017 order repealing net neutrality protections, arguing no changes to its policy are needed to address concerns raised by a court last year.

A US appeals court upheld the majority of the FCC’s order in an October 2019 ruling, but instructed it to tackle issues related to the move’s impact on public safety communications, utility pole access and funding for the Lifeline broadband subsidy programme, finding it failed to do so previously.

Accordingly, the FCC opened a public consultation on the matter in February.

Pai said in a blog after reviewing “the input received, the law and the facts”, he is “confident” the regulator’s existing framework already “appropriately and adequately addresses each issue”. He added the commission will vote later this month on a proposal reaffirming its 2017 order and explaining how it applies to each of the points raised by the court.

Commission Jessica Rosenworcel in a statement slammed Pai’s proposal as “crazy”, arguing “instead of taking this opportunity to right what this agency got wrong, we are going to double down on our mistake”.

The measure is likely to pass despite Rosenworcel’s objection: Pai’s political party holds a 3-2 majority on the five-member commission.