Press Release

Federal Communications Commission Chairman Ajit Pai released the following statement on a proposed order that would enable carriers in Puerto Rico and the US Virgin Islands to use their Universal Service Fund allocations to more quickly rebuild networks:

“Hurricane Maria caused catastrophic damage to communications networks in Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands. Yesterday, as part of the FCC’s ongoing work to assist with restoration efforts, I shared with my colleagues an order that would quickly make available up to $76.9 million of funding to repair wireline and wireless communication networks and restore communications services in Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands. Specifically, I am proposing to allow carriers to use money provided through the Universal Service Fund’s high-cost program to repair and restore communications networks throughout Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands. I am also proposing that we give carriers operating in these territories the option of receiving USF funding in advance. Instead of receiving a standard monthly payment, carriers could elect this month to receive seven months’ worth of funding immediately in order to expedite repair and restoration efforts. I look forward to working with my colleagues on this Order. Given the urgent situation in Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands, I am asking Commissioners to approve it as soon as possible. If this proposal has not been adopted by the FCC’s October 24 meeting, we will vote on it then.”

FCC Commissioner Brendan Carr announced that Jamie Susskind has joined his office as Chief of Staff and Legal Advisor for wireline issues. Susskind joins Commissioner Carr’s office from the United States Senate, where she served as Chief Counsel to Sen Deb Fischer (R-NE). In that role, Susskind managed the Senator’s priorities on the Senate Commerce Committee, as well as the Senate Judiciary Committee and the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee. Prior to joining Senator Fischer’s office, Susskind was detailed from the FCC to serve as Counsel to the Senate Communications Subcommittee. Previously, Susskind worked in the FCC’s Wireline Competition Bureau, where she held various roles, including Legal Advisor to the Bureau Chief and Acting Assistant Division Chief of the Pricing Policy Division. Earlier in her career, Susskind was a Judicial Law Clerk for the Honorable Mary J. Schoelen on the United States Court of Appeals for Veterans Claims. She graduated from the Antonin Scalia Law School and received her undergraduate degree from the University of Michigan. Commissioner Carr also announced that Nathan Eagan, who has been serving as Acting Legal Advisor for wireline issues while on detail from the Wireline Competition Bureau, will be rejoining the Bureau.

What was in the ads you shared with Congress? How many people saw them? Most of the ads appear to focus on divisive social and political messages across the ideological spectrum, touching on topics from LGBT matters to race issues to immigration to gun rights. A number of them appear to encourage people to follow Pages on these issues. Here are a few other facts about the ads:

• An estimated 10 million people in the US saw the ads. We were able to approximate the number of unique people (“reach”) who saw at least one of these ads, with our best modeling
• 44% of total ad impressions (number of times ads were displayed) were before the US election on November 8, 2016; 56% were after the election.
• Roughly 25% of the ads were never shown to anyone. That’s because advertising auctions are designed so that ads reach people based on relevance, and certain ads may not reach anyone as a result.
• For 50% of the ads, less than $3 was spent; for 99% of the ads, less than $1,000 was spent.

Federal Communications Commission Chairman Ajit Pai announced his appointment of Eric Burger to serve as the agency’s Chief Technology Officer. Dr. Burger will advise Chairman Pai and the agency on technology and engineering issues, together with the Office of Engineering and Technology. Prior to joining the Commission, Dr. Burger served as director of the Security and Software Engineering Research Center in Washington, DC. The center helps propose solutions to network problems like robocalling, rural call completion, accessibility of communications for Americans with hearing and speech impairments, reducing the cost of deploying and operating communications networks, and ensuring communication network security and stability. He holds patents in telecommunications and is an expert in standards for telecommunications, network, and Internet technologies.

Dr. Burger has also held senior engineering and technology positions in various telecommunications companies and served as a technology consultant to others. He has also taught computer science at Georgetown University, George Mason University, and The George Washington University. He holds a Ph.D. in computer science from Illinois Institute of Technology, an MBA from Katholieke Universiteit Leuven in Belgium, and bachelor’s degree from Massachusetts Institute of Technology.

The Federal Communications Commission reached a settlement with Sorenson Communications following a preventable service outage that affected a communications service utilized by Americans with disabilities. Under the terms of the settlement, the company has agreed to provide enhanced notices to consumers during outages, and pay $2.7 million to reimburse the Telecommunications Relay Services Fund and a $252,000 penalty.

House Commerce Committee Democratic leaders wrote to Federal Communications Commission Chairman Ajit Pai requesting answers to a series of questions that he failed to address in his response to the lawmakers’ August 14th inquiry regarding Sinclair Broadcast Group. The letters focus on reports that Chairman Pai’s actions suggest preferential treatment towards Sinclair, and whether his interactions with the Trump Campaign, Administration, and Sinclair demonstrated inappropriate coordination. The follow-up letter, signed by Commerce Ranking Member Frank Pallone, Jr. (D-NJ), Oversight Subcommittee Ranking Member Diana DeGette (D-CO), and Communications Subcommittee Ranking Member Mike Doyle (D-PA), expresses the lawmakers’ concern that Chairman Pai failed to provide the requested correspondence between his office and Sinclair representatives. Additionally, the lawmakers still have questions about the timing of the reinstatement of the UHF discount rule and the review of the proposed merger between Sinclair and Tribune Media Company, as well as about the adequacy of the initial public comment periods for the proposed merger.

“We received your September 8, 2017 letter, and we appreciate the efforts of Commission staff to collect the information included in your response, but the narrative you provided failed to respond to several of our specific questions and raised additional questions,” wrote Pallone, DeGette, and Doyle. “Your failure to provide the requested correspondence between your office and Sinclair representatives is most troubling. We reiterate our request that you provide all correspondence between you and members of your office and representatives of Sinclair, including any lobbyists and lawyers representing Sinclair, since November 8, 2016, regardless of whether it is subject to a FOIA request.”

Five of New York City’s universities announced a partnership aimed at supporting and defending journalism and independent news media --- one of the most critical elements of our democracy --- as they are increasingly under threat. This unique, first-of-its kind program and collaboration will bring together Cornell Tech, Columbia University, City University of New York, New York University, and The New School -- in partnership with the NYC Media Lab -- to investigate and understand the various threats to journalism and media, and attempt to address these challenges using design, engineering, and computational methods and techniques.

The effort will gather graduate students with backgrounds and expertise in journalism, design, and engineering/technology from these institutions in a special course to kick off in Spring 2018. In addition to the course, a speaker series hosted at news organizations around the city will launch in October around the themes of the partnership, featuring influential figures from media and technology. Inaugural media participants that will host fall programming include The New York Times, CNN, BuzzFeed, and the HuffPost.

Earlier this summer we outlined some of our work to combat bots and networks of manipulation on Twitter. Since then, we have received a number of questions about how malicious bots and misinformation networks on Twitter may have been used in the context of the 2016 U.S. Presidential elections. Sept 28, Twitter Vice President for Public Policy Colin Crowell met with staff from Senate Select Committee on Intelligence and House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence to discuss these issues.

Of the roughly 450 accounts that Facebook recently shared as a part of their review, we concluded that 22 had corresponding accounts on Twitter. All of those identified accounts had already been or immediately were suspended from Twitter for breaking our rules, most for violating our prohibitions against spam. In addition, from those accounts we found an additional 179 related or linked accounts, and took action on the ones we found in violation of our rules. Neither the original accounts shared by Facebook, nor the additional related accounts we identified, were registered as advertisers on Twitter. However, we continue to investigate these issues, and will take action on anything that violates our Terms of Service.

The Senate majority is charging forward with plans to vote to reconfirm Federal Communications Commission Chairman Ajit Pai for another five years. Rehiring Pai to head the agency that oversees US communications policies would be a boon for the phone and cable companies he eagerly serves. But it would hurt everyone else who needs this agency to put our communications rights before the profits of monopoly-minded media giants. In the coming days, senators have the opportunity to intervene on the public’s behalf and fire Pai. Here are five reasons they should do so:
1. Net Neutrality Lies
2. Widening the Digital Divide
3. Sinclair Quid Pro Quo
4. First Amendment Fail
5. Assault on Online Privacy

In recent years, I have repeatedly called on the wireless industry to activate the FM chips that are already installed in almost all smartphones sold in the United States. And I’ve specifically pointed out the public safety benefits of doing so. In fact, in my first public speech after I became Chairman, I observed that ‘[y]ou could make a case for activating chips on public safety grounds alone.’ When wireless networks go down during a natural disaster, smartphones with activated FM chips can allow Americans to get vital access to life-saving information. I applaud those companies that have done the right thing by activating the FM chips in their phones. Apple is the one major phone manufacturer that has resisted doing so. But I hope the company will reconsider its position, given the devastation wrought by Hurricanes Harvey, Irma, and Maria.

That’s why I am asking Apple to activate the FM chips that are in its iPhones. It is time for Apple to step up to the plate and put the safety of the American people first. As the Sun Sentinel of South Florida put it, ‘Do the right thing, Mr. Cook. Flip the switch. Lives depend on it.’