Barack Obama’s FCC ignored the law to pass an unprecedented regulatory takeover of the Internet. Ajit Pai is leading the FCC today to repeal it, and return to an open internet.

The Internet grew to be the huge thing it is, connecting people and allowing magical things to happen, only because the government got out of the way. A key step in that was the 1996 Telecommunications Act, which ordered FCC to give information services a light touch.

Fast forward to the Obama administration, and the FCC handwaved away the Telecommunications Act, declaring that ISPs were to be regulated under Title II of the Communications Act, and putting the Internet under 1930s-era regulatory burdens. The result of that was an abrupt decline in national investment in fiber optics to people’s homes in America, reducing competition and hurting everyone.

Ajit Pai, new FCC chairman, has been working the process by the book to repeal this power grab. Today is the day the vote happens. The FCC is meeting right now. Good luck America!