FCC Chairman Ajit Pai

In 2012, Congress passed legislation requiring the Federal Communications Commission to reallocate and auction T-Band spectrum used for decades by public safety licensees and fund the relocation of those licensees elsewhere. The agency has extensively analyzed the T-Band and concluded that moving forward is not viable—relocation costs for public safety licensees would likely far exceed any potential auction revenue, making it impossible to fund the relocation and comply with the mandate.

The last Federal Communications Commission meeting of 2019, on December 12, features more than one item that could receive top billing in an ordinary month. The FCC will consider:

After 20 years of seeing these prime airwaves [in the 5.9 GHz band] go largely unused, the time has come for the FCC to take a fresh look at the 5.9 GHz band. And I’m pleased to announce that today, I shared with my FCC colleagues a proposal to end the uncertainty around the 5.9 GHz band and set a path for the deployment of new services. Specifically, I’m proposing to make available the lower 45 MHz of the band for unlicensed uses like Wi-Fi and allocate the upper 20 MHz for a new automotive communications technology, Cellular Vehicle to Everything, or C-V2X.

On Aug 8, 2019, House Appropriations Financial Services Subcommittee Chairman Mike Quigley (D-IL) wrote to Federal Communications Commission Chairman Ajit Pai to express concern about the FCC failing to act to stop abusive and unwarranted equipment rental fees for broadband service. "These unreasonable fees defy common sense and undermine the FCC's stated 'number one priority' of closing the digital divide." Chairman Quigley described a consumer in Texas who was charged a $10 "rental" fee by Frontier Communications for a router that they neither asked for nor ever received.

It’s fair to say that a Council on Foreign Relations appearance by the Chairman of the Federal Communications Commission is out of the ordinary. But these are extraordinary times. We’re at a pivotal moment in the evolution of communications technology. Across America and around the world, private companies have begun rolling out the next generation of wireless technology—commonly known as 5G. For all the opportunities that 5G will unlock, it will also create new challenges. Chief among these is the main subject of my remarks: network security.

Federal Communications Commission Chairman Ajit Pai presented his colleagues with a two-part proposal that would help safeguard the nation’s communications networks. The FCC will vote on this proposal at its Nov 19 meeting.

When it comes to 5G and America’s security, we can’t afford to take a risk and hope for the best. We need to make sure our networks won’t harm our national security, threaten our economic security or undermine our values. That requires a comprehensive effort, one the administration has been undertaking, including through a May 2019 executive order. The Federal Communications Commission, for its part, has been working at home and abroad with federal agencies, including the intelligence community.

On July 10, 2019, Sen Steve Daines (R-MT) wrote to Federal Communications Commission Chairman Ajit Pai saying he was troubled by reports of "duplicative federal investment from the Universal Service Program for Schools and Libraries (E-rate) that has led to wasteful overbuilding of broadband infrastructure." On Oct 15, Chairman Pai responded, saying the FCC is reviewing the record on a petition for a rulemaking to consider amending rules relating to the E-rate program competitive bidding requirements.

On Sept 19, 2019, 30 members of Congress wrote to Federal Communications Commission Chairman Ajit Pai requesting the FCC discard any plans for setting an overall cap for the Universal Service Fund (USF) programs, claiming such a proposal would harm broadband deployment, among other things. On Oct 15, Chairman Pai responded saying that the FCC sought comment on a proposed overall annual budget of $11.42 billion, which is more than three billion dollars above current USF program disbursements. Chairman Pai said this amount would be adjusted regularly for inflation.

On May 16, 2019, Rep Brian Mast (F-FL) wrote to Federal Communications Commission Chairman Ajit Pai asking if the FCC would grant a waiver request that would provide interim relief by allowing service providers to assist consumers by providing eligibility information to the National Verifier in batches for an eligibility determination, or if the FCC would establish some alternate form of electronic submission to verify eligibility in the interim period prior to full launch of the service provider application programming interface (API).