FCC Chairman Ajit Pai

Federal Communications Commission Chairman Ajit Pai announced the tentative agenda for the January Open Commission Meeting scheduled for Wednesday, January 13, 2021. Bureau, Office, and Task Force leaders will summarize the work their teams have done over the last four years in a series of presentations:

Panel One – The Commission will hear presentations from the Wireless Telecommunications Bureau, International Bureau, Office of Engineering and Technology, and Office of Economics and Analytics.

Federal Communications Commission Chairman Ajit Pai praised the Alliance for Telecommunications Industry Solutions (ATIS), a standards organization, for its efforts to improve the geographic accuracy of Wireless Emergency Alerts. “Wireless Emergency Alerts are a more powerful public safety tool than ever before, but I’ve been clear that more should be done to improve the geographic accuracy of these life-saving messages,” said Chairman Pai.

Content is moving online and the government needs to keep pace. This accelerating shift toward Internet-based platforms is transforming the media marketplace, and the regulatory framework must change accordingly.  In 2020, for example, Google and Facebook are each expected to bring in more ad revenue than every TV and radio station in the U.S. combined.

Welcome to the Federal Communications Commission’s first-ever Forum on the Quantum Internet! Quantum networks promise to unleash this power by enabling distributed quantum computing and giving us a level of computational clout far beyond what is possible with today’s Internet. This would be an incredibly powerful tool for solving complex problems and enabling scientific discoveries. When we think about the possible benefits of the Quantum Internet, the first big advancements we are likely to see involve network security.

For over seven years, Mike O’Rielly has served with distinction on the Federal Communications Commission. And since Jan 2017, he has been an important partner as the FCC has accomplished one of the most ambitious policy agendas in agency history. Because I had confidence in Mike, I’ve asked him to take the lead on important initiatives. And he delivered each time. A good example is the 3.5 GHz spectrum band. Mike showed leadership in reforming the rules for the 3.5 GHz band to promote 5G deployment. Because of his efforts, the auction of this band was a major success.

We’ve been asked to talk today about finding the right balance when it comes to regulating the 5G marketplace. India Mobile Congress' organizers have made no secret about their favored approach when they titled this session “Light Touch Regulation.” Fortunately, I share this approach, so you’ll hear no complaints from me. It is in our mutual interest for the U.S. and India to work together not only on 5G security, but on issues across the communications landscape and beyond.

On spectrum, we’ve been the most aggressive and successful Federal Communications Commission in history. With three high-band auctions, we’ve made available more spectrum for commercial use than was previously used by all mobile broadband providers in the United States combined. We’ve already finished repurposing low-band spectrum in the 600 MHz band for mobile broadband, which is now being used to provide 5G service coverage to more than 250 million American. And over the past couple of years, we’ve been primarily focused on mid-band spectrum.

If there’s one positive to come out of the pandemic, it is that it’s ended, once and for all, any debate about the need for universal access to high-speed broadband. COVID-19 has raised awareness about the importance of closing the digital divide. And the Keep Americans Connected pledge proved to be an effective solution to the immediate connectivity challenges highlighted by the pandemic. But our nation had connectivity gaps before the pandemic that will still be a challenge in the years ahead.

Federal Communications Commission Chairman Ajit Pai announced that he intends to leave the Federal Communications Commission on January 20, 2021.

One message that is understood in all languages around the globe is that communications technology can improve people’s lives and grow our economies. Increasingly, the technology that people think can drive transformative change is 5G. Soon, these next-generation wireless networks will affect almost every aspect of our society and economy—from businesses to homes, hospitals to transportation networks, manufacturing to the power grid.