Chairman Pai's Call for an Investigation of Communication Failures in Florida Contrasts His Inaction in Puerto Rico

In recent days, Federal Communications Commission Chairman Ajit Pai ordered his agency to investigate telecommunication carriers’ slow response in restoring service to the Florida Panhandle, which Hurricane Michael struck on Oct 10. Free Press applauds Chairman Pai for holding telecom companies accountable in this instance. But Chairman Pai failed to show the same urgency in the aftermath of Hurricanes Irma and Maria, which struck Puerto Rico in 2017 and left nearly the entire population without phone and broadband service. In Sept, Free Press joined Puerto Rican groups and advocates in calling on the FCC to appoint an independent commission to investigate all of the causes of the collapse of communications networks in Puerto Rico — and to take steps to ensure this kind of communications blackout doesn’t recur.