March 2017

Federal Communications Commissioner Chairman Ajit Pai said that President Trump’s charge that media outlets including The New York Times, CNN and NBC are “fake news” is a “political debate,” that he would not “wade into.”

When asked by separate reporters during the FCC’s monthly open meeting if those organizations were “fake news,” as President Trump has repeatedly dismissed them, Chairman Pai said both times that he would not comment. “Well look, that’s a political debate that people in the political arena have been debating back and forth,” Chairman Pai said. “My job is to not to be a political actor. It is simply to be somebody at the FCC who, as I said, is administering the laws of the United States. I’m simply not going to wade into that kind of political debate.”

Later he said, “Several years ago, I pointed out that I thought the news media performed a core job, exercising the First Amendment function of gathering news and the importance of distributing it to communities across this country, and keeping people informed,” Pai said. “I stand by those comments.”

Former Federal Communications Commission Chairman Tom Wheeler described the agency’s 600 MHz incentive auction as a successful event that should generate a “huge smile” for administrators.

“We were charged with creating a marketplace and that marketplace successfully performed to produce the second largest amount of spectrum ever auctioned; and to do so by reallocating spectrum to its highest and best usage as determined by the market,” Wheeler said. “When you think of the fact that no one in the world had ever tried this two-sided auction, and all the new and unique issues that had to be dealt with for the auction to take place, one can only have a huge smile.” Wheeler lauded Gary Epstein, the chairman of the FCC’s Incentive Auction Task Force and the regulator largely in charge of planning and executing the incentive auction, saying “I hope that when the auction closes, folks will begin to pay attention to the ground-breaking and back-breaking efforts of the Auction Task Force.” Wheeler’s comments are noteworthy as the FCC’s ongoing incentive auction winds down. Forward bidding in the event ended in February with bidders committing $19.63 billion for TV broadcasters’ airwaves, surpassing TV broadcasters’ asking price of $10 billion. Spectrum prices reached roughly $1.257 per MHz/pop, topping $1.25 per MHz/pop in the top 40 markets.

The second Charles Benton Digital Equity Champion Award will be presented in May at Net Inclusion 2017 in St. Paul (MN) by the National Digital Inclusion Alliance (NDIA). This is a call for nominations for candidates for the award.

Digital Equity is a condition in which all individuals and communities have the information technology capacity they need for full participation in our society, democracy and economy. Digital Equity is necessary for civic and cultural participation, employment, lifelong learning, and access to essential services. Named for Charles Benton, the founder of the Benton Foundation, the award was created by NDIA to recognize leadership and dedication in advancing digital equity: from promoting the ideal of accessible and affordable communications technology for all Americans, to crafting programs and policies that make it a reality.

The deadline for nominations for this year’s award is midnight (Eastern Daylight Time) Friday, April 14, 2017.