NEW YORK (AP) — The head of the Federal Communications Commission is defending his plan to undo the country's net-neutrality rules by hammering the Hollywood celebrities and tech companies that have criticized it.

Chairman Ajit Pai said in a Tuesday speech that comments by Cher, Mark Ruffalo, Alyssa Milano and George Takei in support of net neutrality are "absurd."

One criticism of his plan is that it will allow phone and cable companies to block some sites and apps while favoring others.

But Pai asserted that internet companies are "a much bigger actual threat to an open internet" because they choose what people see on their services.

He called out Twitter specifically, contending that it suspends accounts or takes away the blue check mark that marks a "verified" user for conservatives more than liberals.