Former FCC Chairman Ajit Pai asks Supreme Court to uphold TikTok ban

Ajit Pai, the former head of the Federal Communications Commission during Donald Trump’s first term, is parting ways with his old boss and cheering up Supreme Court to allow ban on TikTok going forward. According to Business InsiderPai and former Treasury Department official Thomas Fido filed a brief last week encouraging justices to uphold the law that would ban TikTok from operating within US borders despite Trump’s push to halt the ban.

Pai’s primary argument is that legal precedent exists to support the legality of the law, passed by Congress last year that requires TikTok’s parent company, ByteDance, to sell the platform or cease operations in the United States. That precedent: Bai’s crackdown on Chinese companies.

When Pai was FCC chairman, he named two companies headquartered in China National security threats. The agency has barred cell phone providers from using government subsidies to purchase telecom equipment from manufacturers Huawei and ZTE, on the grounds that those companies could be cooperating with the Chinese government to spy on Americans — a concern that was at least partially supported by findings from the investigations. Journalists and Intelligence community.

Pai described the approach taken to restrict apps like TikTok in the Protecting Americans from Apps Controlled by Foreign Adversaries Act as “very similar” to his own efforts to deal with Chinese telecom equipment providers, noting that “Congress and the executive branch have routinely specified in specific legislation or regulations.” Companies controlled by China that pose a particular risk to national security.

While Bay finds himself in conflict with Donald Trump 2024, who has provided his own summary Asking the court to postpone The January 19 deadline for ByteDance to sell TikTok remains largely in line with Trump’s 2017-2021 deadline. Trump was the first to bring up the ban and try to implement it on his own Via executive order in 2020, which was eventually blocked by a federal judge. He also supported Trump Rules that restricted the sale Equipment to companies like Huawei and ZTE in an attempt to block Chinese companies’ access to American technology.

But Trump changed his mind about his attack on TikTok earlier this year after meeting with Jeff Yass, a major TikTok investor and — you won’t believe it! It injected nearly $100 million For conservative reasons in the last election cycle. His support for the app was further strengthened after his victory in the 2024 presidential election, which he attributed at least in part to his candidacy. Popular on TikTok. This will also come as a big surprise, but TikTok has started Seek support for Trump Suddenly, in a decidedly unrelated coincidence, it became an app A more friendly approach to Trump-related content. Wild how this kinda thing just happens.

In any case, there’s no indication Pai will return to the Trump administration (he seems perfectly happy to play a role at a busy private equity firm Buying telecommunications companies), so it’s safe for him to take a stand against his former boss. If anything, Pai’s position is more principled than Trump’s, so he deserves credit where it’s due.