FCC Chairman Ajit Pai wants to be seen as an action-oriented reformer who works through consensus.
That has been evident before but is reinforced by an 11-page punch list just released by Pai’s office of what it sees as his accomplishments over three years.
[Read: Chairman Pai: The Radio World Interview]
Of interest to radio broadcasters, the list includes elimination of the main studio rule, streamlining of EAS reporting and the creation of a Blue Alert event code to notify the public of threats to law enforcement and to help apprehend dangerous suspects.
Pai also said the FCC had “moved aggressively” to combat illegal broadcasts during his tenure, including proposed maximum fines against two apparent Boston-area pirate operators and “hundreds” of actions against illegal operators, as reported on its online dashboard.
It also mentioned his modernization of media regulations initiative, elimination of paper filing requirements and the move of public files to online, among other steps.
More generally, Pai is proud of the commission’s decision-making approach.
“Chairman Pai has restored the collaborative and consensus-based tradition of FCC decision making,” his office stated. “Under Chairman Pai, the commission has voted over 80% of items on the monthly meeting agenda with bipartisan support and over 70% without dissent. Under the previous administration, fewer than 50% of agenda items were voted without dissent.”
And it said that in 36 meetings under Pai, the FCC has voted and adopted 221 items in open meetings, which it said is more than double the amount over the previous three years under Chairman Tom Wheeler.
The overall list is broken into major categories like bridging the digital divide, promoting innovation and investment, protecting consumers and enhancing public safety.
Read the full list here.
