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. Chairman Pai wrote, "Because the Commission did not rely on these informal complaints as the basis for its determination, it does not have an obligation to incorporate materials relating to those complaints into the record. Nonetheless, the Commission takes consumer complaints seriously and finds them valuable in informing us about potential violations of the Commission's rules. Since the Title II Order's rules became effective in June 2015, the Consumer and Governmental Affairs Bureau has engaged in an ongoing review of informal consumer complaints. Many complaints convey frustration or dissatisfaction with a person or entity or discuss a subject without actually alleging wrongdoing on which the Commission may act; others represent isolated incidents that do not form a trend that allow judicious use of our limited resources. Most do not allege conduct that relates to or violates the Title II Internet regulations imposed by the Commission in 2015."