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The FCC doesn't want you to know how it planned Harlem Shake dance video

The FCC has refused a Freedom of Information request for the emails planning a net neutrality video that features Ajit Pai dancing.

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Ty Pendlebury is a journalism graduate of RMIT Melbourne, and has worked at CNET since 2006. He lives in New York City where he writes about streaming and home audio.
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The Federal Communications Commision has reportedly refused to comply with a Freedom of Information (FOI) request about its infamous "Harlem Shake" video from December 2017.

Executive editor of MuckRock, JPat Brown, filed a FOI request for the video's planning emails for the project but says he was rejected, as it would "foreseeably harm the staff's ability to execute its functions by freely discussing relevant matters."

The video in question features FCC chairperson Ajit Pai demonstrating all of the things you can "still do on the internet after net neutrality " including upload to Instagram and (apparently) dance with a lightsaber to "Harlem Shake". It was produced in conjunction with conservative news site The Daily Caller.

The video appeared on YouTube the day before the FCC voted to repeal the Obama Administration's net neutrality legislation.

The "Harlem Shake" meme is now ancient in Internet years, having debuted in 2013, and the song's creator even considered suing the FCC for copyright infringement.

Representatives for the FCC did not respond immediately to CNET's request for comment.