The chairman of the Federal Communications Commission has pledged to rollback Obama-era reforms implementing "net neutrality" standards for Internet services, setting up a potential lobbying battle in the months ahead between associations representing service providers and those representing online businesses.

In a speech Wednesday, FCC Chairman Ajit Pai said the commission would move ahead with a repeal of the 2015 Open Internet Order, which prevents Internet providers from blocking or limiting access to certain online services. The FCC's adoption of the rules was a major policy victory for online businesses that feared cable companies and other providers would charge fees for faster access to certain content, such as streaming video.

Implementation of net neutrality standards has long divided businesses that provide internet services from businesses have provide services through the internet. Pai's announcement alarmed the Internet Association, which includes Amazon, eBay, Facebook and Google among its members.

"Rolling back these rules or reducing the legal sustainability of the Order will result in a worse internet for consumers and less innovation online," Internet Association CEO Michael Beckerman said.

However, in a statement, the American Cable Association said the rules "are not needed for the FCC to ensure that consumers have access to any lawful online content, and, because these rules have discouraged ISPs from investing, they have harmed consumers' access to robust, high-quality broadband service."

Michael Powell, CEO of NCTA—The Internet and Television Association, found reasons to celebrate Pai's move to "reverse the prior FCC's flawed decision that forced heavy-handed public utility regulation on today's dynamic internet networks."

"Restoring the FCC's traditional bipartisan ‘light-touch' approach will reestablish a better framework to advance consumer protection and to support the continued growth and expansion of internet networks throughout America," Powell said.

Pai plans to begin the process of potentially rolling back the Open Internet Order at FCC's May 18 meeting by filing a notice of proposed rulemaking. The commission will then take his public comments on the proposed changes.

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