In this Dec. 14, 2017, file photo, after a meeting voting to end net neutrality, Federal Communications Commission (FCC) Chairman Ajit Pai smiles while listening to a question from a reporter in Washington. The FCC has set June 11 as the repeal date for “net neutrality” rules meant to prevent broadband companies from exercising more control over what people watch and see on the internet. (AP Photo/Jacquelyn Martin, File)
By Mae Anderson, Technology Writer
NEW YORK (AP) --
The Federal Communications Commission has set June 11 as the repeal date for "net neutrality" rules meant to prevent broadband companies from exercising more control over what people watch and see on the internet.
Among other things, the rules prohibited companies such as Comcast, AT&T and Verizon from favoring some services and apps over others.
FCC Chairman Ajit Pai says the repeal aims to replace "heavy-handed" rules with a "light-touch" approach to internet regulation.
The FCC voted in December to gut the rules.
Currently, more than half of states have introduced legislation to preserve net neutrality in their states. A Senate vote on a federal bill is expected next week. If that passes, the House has until the end of the year to vote on it.
Television producer Mark Burnett, left, looks on as President Donald Trump arrives for the National Prayer Breakfast, Feb. 2, 2017, in Washington. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci, File)
Mark Burnett, the power producer who helped reintroduce Donald Trump to a national television audience with "The Apprentice," is being tapped by the president-elect as special envoy to the United Kingdom in his upcoming administration.
"With a distinguished career in television production and business, Mark brings a unique blend of diplomatic acumen and international recognition to this important role," Trump announced Saturday.
Burnett, who was born in London, helped produce hits like "Survivor" and "The Voice," but is perhaps best known for teaming up with Trump for "The Apprentice," which first aired on NBC in 2004.
Trump had been well-known in real estate and pop culture circles for decades. But the show helped again make him a household name — though Trump severed ties with NBC in 2015, the same year he launched his first White House run.
The selection of Burnett continues Trump's trend of filling out his incoming administration with people who have high-profile backgrounds in television or politics, or both — including his choice to be defense secretary, Pete Hegseth, a former co-host of "Fox & Friends Weekend," and ex-television doctor and unsuccessful Senate candidate in Pennsylvania, Mehmet Oz.
Trump's first campaign in 2016 was rocked by allegations about his conduct on "The Apprentice" and other appearances during his association with NBC, notably in footage in which he said he could sexually assault women and get away with it because he was a "star."
Almost a decade after he left his reality TV role, Trump's television career remains central to his biography and political rise. The show presented Trump Tower to tens of millions of people as a symbol of power and success before Trump launched his first... Read More
