Policymakers

[Commentary] Federal Communications Commission Chairman Ajit Pai has a lot on his plate. On top of running a critical independent federal agency, he now must do so under a cloud of hate speech and death threats directed at him and his young children. This behavior is unacceptable in any circumstance, and it is an especially sad irony that it’s being directed at a public servant who has made it his No.

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. 

The Senate Commerce Committee has narrowly--14 to 13-- FCC Commissioner Brendan Carr for a full, five-year, term on the Federal Communications Commission. Carr is currently serving out the unexpired term of former chair Tom Wheeler, which expires in June. His nomination, which was sent to the committee the week of Jan 8, now goes to the full Senate for a vote. If Carr is confirmed by a Senate floor vote, his full five-year term will begin on July 1.

Federal Communications Commission Chairman Ajit Pai announced the appointment of Nirali Patel as Special Counsel. Patel joins the Office of the Chairman from the Office of Commissioner Brendan Carr, where she has been serving as a Legal Advisor since August 2017.

Commissioner Brendan Carr of the Federal Communications Commission announced that Will Adams has joined his office as Legal Advisor for wireless issues and that Andi Roane has joined his office as Staff Assistant. He also congratulated Nirali Patel on her move to the Chairman’s Office. 

US counterintelligence officials in early 2017 warned Jared Kushner, President Donald Trump’s son-in-law and senior adviser, that Wendi Deng Murdoch, a prominent Chinese-American businesswoman, could be using her close friendship with Kushner and his wife, Ivanka Trump, to further the interests of the Chinese government. US officials have also had concerns about a counterintelligence assessment that Ms.

Five federal policymakers offered their familiar visions of core regulatory issues, including spectrum policy and network neutrality, during Consumer Electronics Show sessions.  With Federal Communications Commission Chairman Ajit Pai absent because of death threats he has recently received, and Democratic commissioner Jessica Rosenworcel opting to skip the program, the sessions were largely status reports on activities at the FCC, the National Telecommunications & Information Administration and Federal Trade Commission. 

There was a second speech Federal Communications Commission Chairman Ajit Pai canceled this week, apparently related to the ongoing threat level tied to his Restoring Internet Freedom order vote to roll back network neutrality. Apparently, Jay Schwarz, wireline advisor to Chairman Pai, was dispatched to the CEO Close-Up Conference of the National Rural Electric Cooperative Association (NRECA) in Palm Desert (CA) Jan 8. On Dec. 4, NRECA announced that Chairman Pai would be the keynote speaker at the conference's opening general session, but Schwarz spoke instead.

January 20 marks the one-year anniversary of Donald Trump’s inauguration. With little indication of what his communications policy plans were before the election, now seems a good time to reflect on what his Administration’s priorities have been over the past 12 months. Here’s a look at what Trump's Federal Communications Commission decided to tackle first in 2017.