Chairman Pai's Response to Members of Congress Regarding the 2.5 GHz Rural Tribal Priority Window

On Aug 18 and 19,  2020, several Members of Congress wrote to Federal Communications Commission Chairman AJit Pai requesting the FCC immediately extend the 2.5 GHz Rural Tribal Priority Window deadline by no less than 180 says "as Tribal nations continue to respond to the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) public health crisis." On July 31, the FCC published an order granting an extremely limited 30-day extension of the application deadline, "which is 150 days fewer than prior requests from members of Congress and the U.S. Department of Interior's Assistant Secretary." "Denying an extension for native communities to claim spectrum over their lands during this unprecedented pandemic is unconscionable." 

On Aug 24 and 28, Chairman Pai responded by saying that the 30-day extension struck an appropriate balance between providing more time for additional Tribal entires to apply and not unduly delaying the grant of licenses to those that already have applied.