Netflix headquarters in California. Credit: Jason Doiy/ ALM

When the Federal Communications Commission fended off a challenge last year to new regulations aimed at ensuring equal access to the internet, the victory appeared to bring an end to a long-running saga that featured two earlier trips to Washington's federal appeals court.

In the era of President Donald Trump, no regulation is safe.

Within a year, it became a real possibility the FCC's third-time's-the-charm defense would live on only on the docket of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit.

Ajit Pai

Signaling his intention to undo those rules, FCC Chairman Ajit Pai asked earlier this year for comments on—as the commission put it—“returning to the bipartisan, light-touch regulatory framework that saw the free and open Internet flourish prior to the 2015 adoption of the Commission's Title II Order.” On Tuesday, Pai followed through by announcing plans to do just that.