The Federal Communications Commission on Friday announced that it would not pursue legal action against ISPs and cell phone service providers for certain violations of net neutrality rules, a clear sign that the commission will be softer on regulations in the Trump era.

In separate letters to AT&T, Verizon, T-Mobile, and Comcast, the FCC said it was dropping investigations into zero-rating, the practice of exempting certain kinds of content from a customer's data cap. The commission previously found that Verizon's FreeBee data program and AT&T's Sponsored Data violate the 2015 Open Internet Order, which prohibits network operators from offering sponsored data to third-party content providers at less favorable terms than those they offer to their subsidiaries and affiliates.

FCC Chairman Ajit Pai, a noted net neutrality critic, said that the wireless carriers' data programs were good for consumers. He suggested that the FCC would no longer consider these types of programs as violations of net neutrality laws.

"These free-data plans have proven to be popular among consumers, particularly low-income Americans, and have enhanced competition in the wireless marketplace," Pai said in a statement. "Going forward, the Federal Communications Commission will not focus on denying Americans free data."

The Verizon and AT&T programs have received little attention compared to T-Mobile's popular Binge On program. The FCC investigated Binge On but later cleared T-Mobile of any wrongdoing because the carrier doesn't charge third parties to exempt their content and offers little content of its own.

Meanwhile, the FCC had not issued a determination on Comcast's Stream TV service, which was the subject of a net neutrality complaint filed by consumer advocacy group Public Knowledge last year.