logo
episode-header-image
Feb 2020
48m 2s

406. Can You Hear Me Now?

Freakonomics Radio + Stitcher
About this episode

When he became chairman of the Federal Communications Commission, Ajit Pai announced that he was going to take a “weed whacker” to Obama-era regulations. So far, he’s kept his promise, and earned the internet’s ire for reversing the agency’s position on net neutrality. Pai defends his actions and explains how the U.S. can “win” everything from the 5G race to the war on robocalls.

Up next
Yesterday
How to Make Your Own Luck (Update)
Before she decided to become a poker pro, Maria Konnikova didn’t know how many cards are in a deck. But she did have a Ph.D. in psychology, a brilliant coach, and a burning desire to know whether life is driven more by skill or chance. She found some answers in poker — and she’s ... Show More
58m 7s
Jul 4
639. “This Country Kicks My Ass All the Time”
Cory Booker on the politics of fear, the politics of hope, and how to split the difference. SOURCES:Cory Booker, senior United States Senator from New Jersey. RESOURCES:"'When Are More Americans Going to Speak Up?'" by The New Yorker Radio Hour (2025)."Cory Booker’s Marathon Floo ... Show More
53m 46s
Jun 27
638. Are You Ready for the Elder Swell?
In the U.S., there will soon be more people over 65 than there are under 18 — and it’s not just lifespan that’s improving, it’s “healthspan” too. Unfortunately, the American approach to aging is stuck in the 20th century. In less than an hour, we try to unstick it. (Part three of ... Show More
54m 53s
Recommended Episodes
May 2017
Recode Decode: FCC Chairman Ajit Pai
FCC Chairman Ajit Pai talks with Recode's Tony Romm about his first three months on the job and what critics of his plan to roll back Obama-era net neutrality rules get wrong. Pai says the FCC should be an apolitical agency that focuses on how to create the most "digital opportun ... Show More
34m 16s
Sep 2023
Tech News: The FCC Says Net Neutrality is Back on the Menu
During the administration of Barack Obama, the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) tried to codify net neutrality into US law. Then, during the Trump administration, the new FCC stripped net neutrality out again. This week, the FCC once again tries to establish an official US ... Show More
28m 28s
Jun 2021
The FBI’s hi-tech sting, the day the internet broke
Joe Biden’s plan to overhaul the international tax system will face a difficult passage through the US Congress as Republicans threaten to vote down a prospective deal, and millions of internet users lost access to major sites yesterday due to a configuration error at a Silicon V ... Show More
9m 43s
Nov 2023
Barack Obama on AI, free speech, and the future of the internet
This episode of Decoder with Nilay Patel originally ran in early November. Patel and former President Barack Obama discuss AI and the future of the internet. They talk about President Biden’s recent executive order on AI, the First Amendment, democracy, and if the government coul ... Show More
49m 14s
Mar 2023
China’s military spending to outpace economic growth
Huawei is lobbying to build the Malaysian government’s 5G network, China will aim for an economic expansion of “around 5 per cent” for 2023, Israel has been gripped by a bitter battle between supporters and opponents of proposed judicial reforms, and US President Joe Biden will s ... Show More
10m 22s
Jul 2017
Why is There a Battle Over Net Neutrality?
Net neutrality is the idea that the internet is a public good and that everyone should have equal, unfettered access to it. Though the FCC strongly supported it with new rules in 2015, today’s FCC is under new leadership and has other ideas. Learn more about your ad-choices at ht ... Show More
1h 1m
Jan 2021
The future of net neutrality under Biden
Federal net neutrality rules are back on the table in the Biden administration, after being nixed by Trump — but now might be complicated by the debate over social media company behavior. Dan digs into why net neutrality matters and what comes next with Nilay Patel, editor-in-chi ... Show More
13m 29s
Jul 2020
Meet the Guy Who's Hauling All 4 Big Tech CEO's (Virtually) Up to the Hill Next Week, Rep. David Cicilline
Next Monday, the CEO’s of four of the most dominant and important technology companies in the world will testify to Congress:  Amazon’s Jeff Bezos, Facebook’s Mark Zuckerberg, Google’s Sundar Pichai, and Apple’s Tim Cook will all appear before the House Judiciary Committee’s subc ... Show More
25m 12s
Feb 2020
US indicts PLA officers in Equifax hack. Pyongyang shows pariah states how it’s done. DDoS in Iran. Updates on Democratic Party caucus IT issues. Likud has a buggy app, too.
US indicts four members of China’s People’s Liberation Army in connection with the 2017 Equifax breach. North Korea establishes an Internet template for pariah regimes’ sanctions evasion. Iran sustained a major DDoS attack Saturday. US Democratic Party seeks to avoid a repetition ... Show More
22m 15s
Feb 2021
Reddit traders eye silver, Republicans float smaller relief bill, Mance talks to Bellingcat founder
Reddit traders have targeted silver markets after piling into GameStop shares last week, and Republicans in the US Senate float a stimulus deal a third the size of president Joe Biden’s plan. Plus, the FT’s chief features writer, Henry Mance, spoke with the founder of the interne ... Show More
10m 23s