FCC Chairman Ajit Pai

I’d like to walk you through four of the most challenging calls I had to make over the past four years: The Restoring Internet Freedom Order, designating the Sinclair/Tribune transaction for a hearing to resolve the disputed issues, granting Ligado's wireless application with conditions, and organizing 5G/C-Band auctions. 

Interested parties will likely use the change in Administrations as an opportunity to re-litigate settled disputes like the 5.9 GHz and 6 GHz rules, the L-band, and perhaps even the C-band.

A variety of lawmakers wrote to Federal Communications Commission Chairman Ajit Pai to encourage the FCC to move quickly to clarify rules governing pole attachment regulations in order to remove barriers to broadband deployment: [Sept 2] Reps Anthony Gonzalez (R-OH) and Darin LaHood (R-IL),  [Sept 30] Rep Anna Eshoo (D-CA), [Oct 15] Rep Doris Matsui (D-CA), [Oct 19] Rep GK Butterfield (D-NC), [Oct 28] Senate Commerce Committee Chairman Roger Wicker (R-MS) and Environment Committee Chairman John Barrasso (R-WY).

Looking ahead, the biggest challenge facing the long-term health of the FCC’s universal service programs is the way they are funded. We are in a unique position to solve this challenge. Here’s how. Back when I was a Commissioner in 2016, I proposed that Congress should authorize a dividend from the sale of wireless spectrum that would go toward closing the digital divide. Whenever the FCC auctioned spectrum for flexible use, we would set aside 10% of the net auction proceeds for the deployment of broadband in unserved communities. I thought it was a good idea then.

It would certainly make sense for me to use today’s platform to detail all the ways that we have cleared out the Federal Communications Commission’s regulatory underbrush since I spoke to Free State one month before taking this position. But I’d like to go in a less obvious direction. Instead, I’d like to lay out my theory for good governance and how the reforms we’ve made since January 2017 have fundamentally transformed the agency’s operations for the better. Along the way, I’ve picked up a few lessons about what I believe to be the keys to effective governance.

The Communications Act of 1934 outlines several reasons why our agency was created, including “for the purpose of the national defense” and “for the purposes of promoting safety of life and property.” Consistent with those charges, identifying threats to our communications networks and taking aggressive action to counteract those threats have been among the hallmarks of the Federal Communications Commission during my four years as Chairman.

The Federal Communications Commission's monthly meetings showcase the agency’s highest-profile work. And by any metric, we have been more productive, more collaborative, and more transparent since January 2017 than at any time in recent history. At the 48 meetings held under my leadership, we’ve voted on a total of 286 items — an average of six (5.96, to be precise) items per meeting. That compares to a recent historical average of well under three. Of the votes on those 286 items, 205 (71.7%) featured no dissents and 253 (88.5%) were bipartisan.

Federal Communications Commission Chairman Ajit Pai announced the tentative agenda for the January Open Commission Meeting scheduled for Wednesday, January 13, 2021. Bureau, Office, and Task Force leaders will summarize the work their teams have done over the last four years in a series of presentations:

Panel One – The Commission will hear presentations from the Wireless Telecommunications Bureau, International Bureau, Office of Engineering and Technology, and Office of Economics and Analytics.

Federal Communications Commission Chairman Ajit Pai praised the Alliance for Telecommunications Industry Solutions (ATIS), a standards organization, for its efforts to improve the geographic accuracy of Wireless Emergency Alerts. “Wireless Emergency Alerts are a more powerful public safety tool than ever before, but I’ve been clear that more should be done to improve the geographic accuracy of these life-saving messages,” said Chairman Pai.

Content is moving online and the government needs to keep pace. This accelerating shift toward Internet-based platforms is transforming the media marketplace, and the regulatory framework must change accordingly.  In 2020, for example, Google and Facebook are each expected to bring in more ad revenue than every TV and radio station in the U.S. combined.