FCC Chairman Ajit Pai

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.

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).

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.

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.

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

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.

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.

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.

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.

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).