FCC Chairman Ajit Pai

On Aug 8, 2019, House Appropriations Financial Services Subcommittee Chairman Mike Quigley (D-IL) wrote to Federal Communications Commission Chairman Ajit Pai to express concern about the FCC failing to act to stop abusive and unwarranted equipment rental fees for broadband service. "These unreasonable fees defy common sense and undermine the FCC's stated 'number one priority' of closing the digital divide." Chairman Quigley described a consumer in Texas who was charged a $10 "rental" fee by Frontier Communications for a router that they neither asked for nor ever received.

It’s fair to say that a Council on Foreign Relations appearance by the Chairman of the Federal Communications Commission is out of the ordinary. But these are extraordinary times. We’re at a pivotal moment in the evolution of communications technology. Across America and around the world, private companies have begun rolling out the next generation of wireless technology—commonly known as 5G. For all the opportunities that 5G will unlock, it will also create new challenges. Chief among these is the main subject of my remarks: network security.

Federal Communications Commission Chairman Ajit Pai presented his colleagues with a two-part proposal that would help safeguard the nation’s communications networks. The FCC will vote on this proposal at its Nov 19 meeting.

When it comes to 5G and America’s security, we can’t afford to take a risk and hope for the best. We need to make sure our networks won’t harm our national security, threaten our economic security or undermine our values. That requires a comprehensive effort, one the administration has been undertaking, including through a May 2019 executive order. The Federal Communications Commission, for its part, has been working at home and abroad with federal agencies, including the intelligence community.

On July 10, 2019, Sen Steve Daines (R-MT) wrote to Federal Communications Commission Chairman Ajit Pai saying he was troubled by reports of "duplicative federal investment from the Universal Service Program for Schools and Libraries (E-rate) that has led to wasteful overbuilding of broadband infrastructure." On Oct 15, Chairman Pai responded, saying the FCC is reviewing the record on a petition for a rulemaking to consider amending rules relating to the E-rate program competitive bidding requirements.

On Sept 19, 2019, 30 members of Congress wrote to Federal Communications Commission Chairman Ajit Pai requesting the FCC discard any plans for setting an overall cap for the Universal Service Fund (USF) programs, claiming such a proposal would harm broadband deployment, among other things. On Oct 15, Chairman Pai responded saying that the FCC sought comment on a proposed overall annual budget of $11.42 billion, which is more than three billion dollars above current USF program disbursements. Chairman Pai said this amount would be adjusted regularly for inflation.

On May 16, 2019, Rep Brian Mast (F-FL) wrote to Federal Communications Commission Chairman Ajit Pai asking if the FCC would grant a waiver request that would provide interim relief by allowing service providers to assist consumers by providing eligibility information to the National Verifier in batches for an eligibility determination, or if the FCC would establish some alternate form of electronic submission to verify eligibility in the interim period prior to full launch of the service provider application programming interface (API).

On July 18, 2019, Sen Joe Manchin (D-WV) sent a letter to Federal Communications Commission Chairman Ajit Pai saying that the FCC's broadband maps were "woefully inaccurate" and "hurting the economy of the people of West Virginia." On Oct 15, Chairman Pai responded, saying that the FCC adopted a report and order in Aug aimed at generating more granular and accurate broadband maps through the creation of the Digital Opportunity Data Collection.

On July 20, 2019, 13 senators wrote to Federal Communications Commission Chairman Ajit Pai urging him to postpone adoption of a reform order of the Rural Health Care Program that was on the agenda for the FCC's Aug 1, 2019 meeting.

As part of our 5G FAST plan, we are pursuing additional opportunities to free up mid-band spectrum for next-generation wireless networks. Following the 3.5 GHz band auction, the FCC plans to hold an auction in the 2.5 GHz band. With almost 200 megahertz, this is the largest contiguous band of terrestrial, flexible use spectrum below 3 GHz in the United States. But it’s dramatically underused today—existing licenses cover only about one-half of the country, and the spectrum often vacant west of the Mississippi River.