Federal Communications Commission

FCC Improves Wireless Emergency Alerts

The Federal Communications Commission adopted rules to improve the geographic targeting of Wireless Emergency Alerts (WEA), a system that delivers critical warnings and information to the public on their wireless phones. The updated rules are intended to promote the wider use and effectiveness of this lifesaving service, especially for state and local authorities to convey critical messages to their communities.

Commissioner Rosenworcel Keynote Remarks, State of the Net Conference

Instead of talking about the substance of network neutrality, I want to use it as a launching pad to go big and discuss policymaking in the internet era. I want to talk about shortcomings in our civic infrastructure. Because we need to make some real changes if we want to give the public a fair shot at getting through to those who make decisions in Washington.

What They're Saying About Chairman Pai's Proposal to Create an Office of Economics and Analytics

American Action Forum Director of Technology and Innovation Policy Will Rinehart: “The FCC needs to be a datafirst organization, and the creation of such an office could help reorient the agency toward more empirically grounded analysis.” (Full Steam Ahead On The FCC’s Office Of Economics And Analytics, Blog, 1/17/18)

FCC Responds to Plan to Nationalize 5G

In responde to a National Security Council memo urging the Trump administration to consider extraordinary efforts to clear the way for 5G, FCC commissioner responded:

Chairman Pai's Respone to Senator McCaskill Regarding Lifeline Enforcement Actions

On Dec 1, 2017, Sen Claire McCaskill (D-MO) wrote to Federal Communications Commission Chairman Ajit Pai requesting information about the steps the FCC is taking to recover forfeiture penalties it proposed four years ago against Lifeline carriers that had profited from violating program rules. 

Chairman Pai's Response to Members of Congress Regarding Restoring Internet Freedom Proceeding

On Jan 19, 2018, Federal Communications Commission Chairman Ajit Pai responded to various Members of Congress regarding the Restoring Internet Freedom Proceeding, who had raised concerns over the FCC's handling of the 50,000 informal complaints from the National Hispanic Media Coalition's FOIA request.

It’s Time to Reexamine the FCC’s Kid Vid Requirements

I posit that the Federal Communications Commission needs to reconsider the ineffective and burdensome requirements currently imposed on our nation’s broadcasters to air a certain amount of educational and informational children’s programming on a weekly basis, colloquially referred to as Kid Vid.  While Kid Vid rules (minus the reporting requirements) apply to noncommercial educational stations like PBS, such programming is tied to the mission of these stations and PBS does not need a mandate to continue providing such content.  In fact, children’s programming on PBS is only expected to inc

Prepared Testimony of FCC Public Safety Chief "This is Not a Drill: An Examination of Emergency Alert Systems", Senate Commerce Committee

The false alert issued on January 13th by the State of Hawaii, in which recipients were warned of an imminent ballistic missile attack, was absolutely unacceptable. The Federal Communications Commission acted swiftly in the wake of this incident to open an investigation into the matter.

FCC Commissioner Carr Remarks at US Chamber of Commerce

I met with small and rural broadband providers that told me that the Commission’s paperwork and reporting obligations alone now consume 23 weeks of work per year or five months of full-time labor. I heard from a small wireless provider that they have to take one of the few people they employ off of a customer service job or marketing effort and sit them in a room to complete FCC paperwork. These small businesses are not corporate behemoths. They do not have, and simply cannot afford, an army of regulatory lawyers.

Commissioner Rosenworcel Remarks at 20 Years of Connecting Schools and Libraries Policy Summit

More can be done to address the Homework Gap. Carriers across the country are pitching in by making available low-cost broadband service. Libraries everywhere from Maine to Missouri are loaning out wireless hotspots—and letting students borrow connectivity for schoolwork. Rural school districts are putting Wi-Fi on buses and turning ride time into connected time for homework. Communities are mapping out where free online access is available for student use. These efforts deserve applause. More importantly, they deserve expansion.

Chairman Pai Releases Summary of First Year Accomplishments

The Federal Communications Commission released an 8-page document outlining "A Year of Action and Accomplishment" led by FCC Chairman Ajit Pai, broken down into the following categories: bridging the digital divide, promoting innovation and investment, protecting consumers and enhancing public safety, transparency and process reforms, and cutting and modernizing outdated regulations. 

Remarks of FCC Commissioner Mignon Clyburn at the Fourth Meeting of the Broadband Deployment Advisory Committee

Nearly one year ago, during the Broadband Deployment Advisory Committee’s (BDAC) inaugural meeting, I urged this Committee to consider the needs and the capacity of low-income communities as you develop policy recommendations. I also reminded the Committee that all municipalities, areas, and communities are not created equal. It was thus my hope that the BDAC’s consensus-based approach would incorporate the concerns expressed by local government representatives of this Committee.

FCC Extends Lifeline Comment Period

The Federal Communications Commission has extended the deadline for public comments in its Lifeline proceeding. Comments now due January 17, 2018; reply comments due February 21, 2018.

Remarks of Chairman Pai at Fourth Meeting of Broadband Deployment Advisory Committee

Today happens to be the one-year anniversary of the President appointing me the Chairman of the Federal Communications Commission. That marker meshes well with today’s proceedings, for a couple of reasons. First, the Broadband Deployment Advisory Committee’s (BDAC) work is critical to my top policy priority as FCC Chairman—closing the digital divide. A second reason why this one-year anniversary means something is that the BDAC reflects a core tenet of my policymaking approach: that the decisions we make inside this building must reflect input and fresh ideas from outside these walls.

Chairman Pai's Response to Members of Congress Regarding Restoring Internet Freedom Declaratory Ruling, Report and Order

On Dec 4, 2017, several members of Congress wrote to Federal Communications Commission Chairman Ajit Pai expressing deep concern about the "proposal to roll back critical consumer protections by dismantling...current net neutrality rules." Due to reports that bots may have interfered with the proceeding and reports that "50,000 consumer complaints seem to have been excluded from the public record", the members of Congress requested that the FCC delay its planned vote on the item until it could conduct a thorough review of the state of the record and "provide Congress with greater assurance

FCC Names Shuldiner New Audio Division Chief

The Federal Communications Commission announced the appointment of Albert Shuldiner as Chief of the Media Bureau’s Audio Division. To ensure a smooth transition, current Audio Division Chief Peter Doyle will, on a temporary basis, assume a new part-time role as Senior Advisor in the Division.  Shuldiner brings decades of legal experience to the FCC, including positions at DTS, Inc., Ibiquity Digital Corporation, and Vinson & Elkins, LLP. He received a J.D. from the University of Pennsylvania Law School and a B.A. from Johns Hopkins University. 

FCC Requests Comments on Net Neutrality Transparency Information Collection

The Federal Communications Commission invites the general public and other Federal agencies to take this opportunity to comment on the information collection necessary for the Restoring Internet Freedom Report and Order's rule requiring internet service providers disclosure of certain network management processes, performance characteristics, and other attributes of broadband internet access service. The order eliminates the additional collection imposed by the FCC's 2015 Open Internet Order and adds a few discrete elements to the information collection requirements.