FCC Chairman Ajit Pai

Chairman Pai Remarks on 5G at Mobile World Congress Latin American Roundtable

By now, most of you have already had two days of non-stop talk about 5G. So, I was trying to think of a way to mix things up—to keep it fresh. And I came up with an idea. I will deliver my remarks in Spanish. [Chairman Pai proceeded to deliver the remarks in Spanish. Below is a brief translation.]

Chairman Pai Remarks on Broadcast Engineering

It's great to be with the Association of Federal Communications Consulting Engineers (AFCCE). I’d like to briefly walk through the latest developments on three key issues where our interests overlap: the transition to ATSC 3.0, the next-generation broadcast television standard; the post-incentive auction repack; and interference involving FM translators.

Behold the Ides of March: March 2019 FCC Meeting Agenda

On March 15, we’ll aim to make progress on many of the issues core to the Federal Communications Commission’s mission: promoting US leadership on 5G, closing the digital divide, advancing public safety, modernizing our media rules, helping rural consumers, and more.

Remarks Of FCC Chairman Ajit Pai At "911 Goes To Washington"

The Federal Communications Commission takes an all-of-the-above approach to public safety, so in addition to meeting our statutory obligations, the Commission is pursuing its own initiatives to strengthen emergency calling.

Remarks Of Chairman Ajit Pai At The National Association Of Tower Erectors Annual Conference

I’m constantly meeting with the National Association of Tower Erectors (NATE) and its members for a very practical reason. Actually, make that two practical reasons: One is the race to 5G and the other is the broadcaster repack stemming from the FCC's incentive auction.

Chairman Pai's Response to Members of Congress Regarding Tribal Broadband

On Sept 12, 2018, Reps Michelle Lujan Grisham (D-NM) and Tom O'Halleran (D-AZ) wrote to Federal Communications Commission Chairman Ajit Pai expressing concern about the Government Accountability Office report that found the FCC overstated broadband access on Tribal lands. On Nov 1, then-House Commerce Committee Ranking Member Frank Pallone (D-NJ) and Rep Raul Ruiz (D-CA) wrote a similar letter, requesting the FCC to address several questions and outstanding issues with the GAO's findings. 

Chairman Pai on Failed CRA Attempt to Overturn Restoring Internet Freedom Order

As the 115th Congress comes to an end, so too has the gambit to invalidate the Federal Communications Commission’s Restoring Internet Freedom Order through the Congressional Review Act (CRA). Federal Communications Commission Chairman Ajit Pai released the following statement regarding the failure of the effort to use the CRA to overturn the Restoring Internet Freedom Order: “I’m pleased that a strong bipartisan majority of the US House of Representatives declined to reinstate heavy-handed Internet regulation.

Chairman Pai Remarks at the Israel Business Conference 2018

Our two nations are connected by shared values and shared interests, and that is certainly true in the field of communications. Each of our governments is committed to connecting all of our citizens with what I like to call digital opportunity. And on Dec 17, the US Federal Communications Commission and the Israeli Ministry of Communications put this commitment into practice. We convened the first meeting of a new Joint Working Group to exchange information and learn from each other’s experiences.

Chairman Pai's Response Regarding USTelecom Forbearance Petition

On Oct 23, 2018, Rep Jared Huffman (D-CA) wrote to Federal Communications Commission Chairman Ajit Pai regarding a forbearance petition filed on May 4 with the FCC by USTelecom. [USTelecom was seeking forbearance from the Communications Act's resale and unbundled network element requirements.] "The letters that my constituents submitted to the FCC regarding the petition illustrate the importance of alternative competitive providers in the telecommunications marketplace," Rep Huffman wrote. "I ask that their comments be carefully considered as you review the petition."

Chairman Pai's Response to various Members of Congress Regarding Broadband Mapping

On Sept 13, 2018, Sens Amy Klobuchar (D-MN) and Shelley Moore Capito (R-WV) wrote to Federal Communications Commission Chairman Ajit Pai to encourage the FCC to improve the National Broadband Map "by using consumer-reported data to increase the accuracy of the FCC's mobile coverage maps." On Sept 7, all six of Oklahoma's congressional delegates wrote to Chairman Pai to concerning the Mobility Fund PHase II (MF-II) challenge process, writing that, "it is important that that (sic) any funding allocation decisions are based on accurate data." 

Chairman Pai's Response to Various Members of Congress Regarding Rural Broadband

On Nov 30, 2018, Federal Communications Commission Chairman Ajit Pai wrote to various Members of Congress regarding rural broadband. Many lawmakers expressed cocncernt hat budget limitations in the Universal Service FUnd's high cost program for legacy rate-of-return providers could result in undue reductionsin support for broadband deployment in rural communities.

Chairman Pai's response regarding franchise fee cap on PEG funding

On Nov 27, Federal Communications Commission Chairman Ajit Pai's responded to various Democratic Sens regarding the impact of statutory cap franchise fees on funding for Public, Educational or Government (PEG) channels. Responses were sent to Sens Ed Markey (D-MA), Tammy Baldwin (D-WI), Maggie Hassan (D-NH), Ben Cardin (D-MD), Jeff Merkley (D-OR), Bernie Sanders (I-VT), Gary Peters (D-MI), Ron Wyden (D-OR), Patrick Leahy (D-VT), Richard Blumenthal (D-CT), and Elizabeth Warren (D-MA).

Chairman Pai Remarks at Veterans Affairs Telehealth Summit

The Department of Veterans Affairs has been aggressively implementing telehealth services. And at the Federal Communications Commission, we’ve been working to seize the opportunities of connected health for all Americans, including veterans. So it’s fitting that we gather this morning to reaffirm our shared belief that telemedicine can improve the quality of health care that our veterans receive. We can’t realize the promise of telehealth without connectivity. This is one of the reasons that, since day one as FCC Chairman, my top priority has been closing the digital divide.

Chairman Pai Remarks at International Telecom & Media Forum

I’m pleased to note that the Americas region continues to work hard and steadily advance regional proposals for the 2019 International Telecommunication Union World Radio Conference. We are deeply focused on the WRC-19.

The FCC’s Thanksgiving Menu: 5G, Rural Broadband, and Stopping Unwanted Robocalls

What will wake America up from its Thanksgiving day food coma? Here's the Federal Communications Commission’s December 2018 open meeting agenda:

Chairman Pai Remarks on the Current Landscape of Telecom Law at Federalist Society Convention

I thought I’d focus on what the Federal Communications Commission is doing to promote US leadership in some of the most promising sectors of our economy. In particular, I’d like to talk about next-generation wireless technology and the space industry, which you may be surprised to learn has key tie-ins with the FCC.

Chairman Pai On California Agreement To Not Enforce Its Internet Rules

I am pleased that California has agreed not to enforce its onerous Internet regulations. This substantial concession reflects the strength of the case made by the United States earlier this month. It also demonstrates, contrary to the claims of the law’s supporters, that there is no urgent problem that these regulations are needed to address. Indeed, California’s agreement not to enforce these regulations will allow Californians to continue to enjoy free-data plans that have proven to be popular among consumers.

Chairman Pai Remarks at India Mobile Congress

Throughout my time here in New Delhi, I look forward to strengthening friendships—and building new ones—with colleagues across both government and industry. Together, we can help deliver digital opportunity for all those we represent.

Space Month at the FCC

In Nov, during what we’ve dubbed Space Month, the Federal Communications Commission will take up nine items to ensure that America leads in the New Space Age, with an emphasis on cutting through the red tape. We start with improving a satellite-enabled technology that millions of Americans rely on every day without even knowing it: the positioning, navigation, and timing service known to most Americans as the Global Positioning System, or GPS. The Commission will vote on allowing American devices to access the European global navigation satellite system, known as Galileo.

Chairman Pai Response Regarding Alleged DDOS Attacks on FCC Comment Filing System

On Dec 11, 2017, Reps Jerry McNerney (D-CA) and Debbie Dingell (D-MI) wrote to Federal Communications Commission Chairman Ajit Pai expressing disappointment at the Chairman's failure to provide documentation relating to the May 7, 2017 alleged distributed denial-of-service (DDoS) attacks on the FCC's Electronic Comment Filing System (ECFS).

Chairman Pai Statement on Broadband Investment Increasing in 2017

Since my first day on the job, this agency has been focused on cutting through the regulatory red tape and increasing broadband investment, most importantly in rural America where the digital divide remains all too real. Today’s report confirms that the FCC’s policies to promote broadband deployment are working. After Internet service providers reduced new investments in 2015 and 2016 under the prior Administration’s regulatory approach, broadband investment increased in 2017 by $1.5 billion over the previous year.

Chairman Pai Discusses FCC's Telehealth Work at Boston Conference

I'd like to share what we are doing at the Federal Communications Commission to seize the opportunities of connected health. 

Statement of Chairman Pai on Hurricane Michael Restoration Efforts

Even though efforts to restore communications services have been going well in most of the areas affected by Hurricane Michael, the slow progress in restoring wireless service in areas close to where the hurricane made landfall is completely unacceptable. While the Federal Communications Commission has been in regular contact with companies serving the affected areas, I’m concerned that their actions on the ground aren’t matching the urgency that we have conveyed during those conversations.

FCC Chairman Pai Wants to Tweak Tribal Broadband Order

In a letter to New Mexico lawmakers, Federal Communications Commission Chairman Ajit Pai said that a tribal broadband order approved in 2018 wrongly cuts out certain tribal telecom companies in that state. This exclusion had been a source of concern for representatives like Rep. Ben Ray Luján (D-NM) about the FCC’s order, which allowed telecom companies serving tribal lands to get more funding to cover operational expenses.