Chairman Pai Meets With Officials In Puerto Rico

Federal Communications Commission Chairman Ajit Pai wrapped up a two-day visit to Puerto Rico on Nov 6, where he met with government and industry officials to see and hear about the status of recovery efforts following Hurricane Maria. "I heard
firsthand about how the $77 million in advanced universal service funding that we provided has helped to facilitate the restoration of communications networks in Puerto Rico; about how the speedy decision to allow a fixed wireless provider to access 5 GHz spectrum enabled it to quickly establish connectivity; about how our recent E-rate decision will help struggling schools keep teaching students; and about how having FCC staff on the ground since the storm has been immensely helpful to both Puerto Ricans and emergency management personnel like ESF-2 (with many lamenting the field office’s closure over one year ago). Looking ahead, we’re going to keep thinking creatively and doing proactively to help restore networks on the island. Among other things, I believe that more funding will be needed in the months to come,” said Chairman Pai.