New FCC chair has done some good, but transition's not as easy as Pai

[Commentary] New Federal Communications Commission Chairman Ajit Pai has taken it on the chin recently, which should be expected considering that many of his views run contrary to the previous chairman's. But much of the criticism is overwrought.

Some aspects of his first few weeks were positive. Increasing transparency in the agency's rule-making processes is long overdue. New ideas on closing the digital divide should be considered, hopefully with an eye toward cost-effectiveness. On the more negative side of the ledger, however, the process by which the chairman took certain actions as well as retracting certain reports were not in keeping with promises to be more inclusive than his predecessor. Hopefully, in the future, Chairman Pai will better engage other commissioners. Doing so would help promote good telecom policy and ensure the success of his long-term agenda.

[Scott Wallsten is president and senior fellow at the Technology Policy Institute]