The groundswell of anti-Ajit sentiment started in earnest with late night comedian John Oliver, who has made net neutrality a personal cause this year, and singled out Pai on his HBO show, Last Week Tonight.

“The dangerous thing about Pai is he presents himself as a fun, down-to-earth nerd,” Oliver said in May, before embarking on an virtual dressing-down of Pai that mocked everything from his love of the movie Big Lebowski, to his giant coffee mug, to his interpretation of infrastructure investment (starting at 6:30):

Pai responded with a video of himself reading mean tweets, in the style of another late-night talk show segment:

Ahead of an already uncertain 2018 midterm elections, as Trump plumbs record lows for presidential popularity, why is Pai pushing this unpopular idea?

Pai believes it will allow smaller companies to make bigger investments internet infrastructure, he told Fox New on Tuesday. “All we are simply doing is putting engineers and entrepreneurs, instead of bureaucrats and lawyers, back in charge of the internet,” Pai said.

FreedomWorks’ Hedger argues it’s now or never, as criticism of Pai’s plan increases and the 2018 elections loom. “If the cards are completely stacked against him,” said Hedger, “why not use the window of opportunity we do have?”

What about US consumers?

Dressing down of Pai on late night television and social media might make for entertaining viewing, but the FCC changes he is spearheading could seriously impact Americans’ quality of life, consumer advocates warn.

Besides the net neutrality rollback, the commission has already voted to substantially change the “Lifeline” program created during Ronald Reagan’s presidency, which gives subsidies to low-income households to buy telecommunications services. Under the new rules, millions of households may find their internet access cut off, public advocates say.

Dozens of citizens groups, senior citizens groups, and even a trade group representing “wireless” companies like Samsung and Apple spoke up against that decision.

Activists are already threatening to challenging the Lifeline decision and the net neutrality rollback in court, and it is there that Pai’s legacy will be determined. “From his perspective I’m sure he sees himself as a very successful FCC commissioner” already, said Copps. “We’ll have to wait and see if he can survive inspection by the courts.”

📬 Sign up for the Daily Brief

Our free, fast, and fun briefing on the global economy, delivered every weekday morning.