SAN JUAN — FCC Chairman Ajit Pai has answered a question that broadcasters likely had on their mind. Unfortunately, the answer is “no.”
On Tuesday, Pai had “proposed to direct $954 million toward restoring and expanding communications networks in Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands” in the aftermath of the 2017 hurricane season. The initiatives are dubbed the “Uniendo a Puerto Rico Fund” (Bringing Puerto Rico Together Fund) and “Connect USVI Fund Would Improve Connectivity for Residents “
The chairman’s trip to Puerto Rico and the proposal were not entirely well received. One particularly critical article came from the Register: “April Fool: FCC finally bothers with Puerto Rico as chairman visits.” Yikes.
On Thursday, Pai tweeted a photo of a San Juan sunrise with a seemingly innocuous caption detailing his itinerary — and got more than he bargained for.
A beautiful early morning in #SanJuan. Today, we’re heading west, through Arecibo and into the interior of #PuertoRico. Spending most of time in Utuato, part of island hard-hit by hurricane devastation. Visiting a hospital, school, radio tower, & more. pic.twitter.com/A7q3sfwLTW
— Ajit Pai (@AjitPai) March 8, 2018
Things got interesting when Juan Carlos Pedreira — a tech reporter for Univision in Miami who also has a J.D. — tweeted a question in reply:
Does the FCC assigned funds to Puerto Rico also includes broadcast facilities? Or only fixed and wireless carriers?
— Juan Carlos Pedreira (@juancpedreira) March 8, 2018
Pai answered:
I recognize the tremendous job broadcasters do during emergencies, esp. in #PuertoRico. Unfortunately, under the law, our Universal Service Fund only can be applied to fixed/mobile broadband services. https://t.co/5Wvl3RmhAq
— Ajit Pai (@AjitPai) March 8, 2018
The internet, apparently, was not pleased by this response. A flurry of GIFs, sarcastic comments and other, more aggressive, replies followed.
— Clutch (@ClintSteward) March 8, 2018
https://twitter.com/AbsorbUnderwear/status/971771901835141123
This was not Pai’s first foray into the world of controversy. The chairman is active on social media, and Twitter has been a favorite platform for citizens to air their grievances over Pai’s position on Net Neutrality and other issues.
Pai leaves the island Friday and travels to the US Virgin Islands.
