FCC Chairman Ajit Pai

Federal Communications Commission Chairman Ajit Pai sent letters to Sens. Lisa Murkowski (R-Alaska) and Dan Sullivan (R-Alaska), and Rep. Don Young (R-Alaska) on June 23, 2020, to respond to their letter urging the FCC to take steps to make more rural health care funding available to providers during the pandemic. Chairman Pai said the FCC extended the RHC program window until June 30, 2020, eased competitive bidding requirements for providers with expired evergreen contracts, and extended a number of filing deadlines.

Federal Communications Commission Chairman Pai sent letters to 38 senators on June 23, 2020, in response to their letter that asked the FCC to extend the 2.5 GHz Rural Tribal Window by 180 days in light of the pandemic. Chairman Pai noted the FCC granted four emergency short-term grants of special temporary authority in the 700 MHz and 2.5 GHz bands to support the Navajo Nation, Zuni Pueblo, and Makah Tribe communications and pandemic response efforts. And Chairman Pai said the FCC has yet to make a decision on whether to extend the August 3, 2020 application window deadline.

On March 19, Sens Amy Klobuchar (D-MN), Gary Peters (D-MI), and Jon Tester (D-MT) wrote to Federal Communications Commission Chairman Ajit Pai making the FCC to take immediate action to ensure that all K-12 students in the U.S. have access to the internet so that they can continue learning while schools are closed in response to the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic. On June 22, Chairman Pai wrote back saying, "The FCC aims to enable [the] transition to remote learning.

I commend the US-India Business Council (USIBC) for launching this Webinar series on 5G. I’ve been asked to begin with an update on the Federal Communications Commission’s efforts to promote the development and deployment of 5G. This is something we’ve spent quite some time on, to say the least. We call our strategy the 5G FAST plan, and it has three key components: freeing up spectrum, promoting wireless infrastructure, and modernizing regulations to encourage fiber deployment.

On June 2, Senate Commerce Committee Chairman Roger Wicker (R-MS) wrote to Federal Communications Commission Chairman Ajit Pai about the Rural Digital Opportunity Fund (RDOF).

On April 24, Sens Joe Manchin (D-WV) and Susan Collins (R-Maine) wrote to Federal Communications Commission Chairman Ajit Pai, saying, "We must coordinate the voluntary efforts of broadband service providers with the targeted investments of federal, state, and local governments to ensure that efforts are focused on those who need our help the most." They urged Chairman Pai to work with the companies that stepped up to take the Keep Americans Connected Pledge to provide a comprehensive report on the distribution of hotspots by April 27th so we can understand where hotspots have been deployed

On June 15, Federal Communications Commission Chairman Ajit Pai wrote to Members of Congress about the FCC's efforts to inform newly-eligible low-income consumers about their eligibility for discounted broadband and telephone service through the Lifeline program. The FCC and the Universal Service Administrative Company (USAC), which administers the Lifeline program, have undertaken numerous efforts to promote Lifeline awareness during the pandemic to ensure that consumers who are newly eligible for the program due to loss of employment or income have the information and resources they need

On May 1, Sen Joe Manchin (D-WV) wrote to Federal Communications Commission Chairman Ajit Pai with 107 speed tests from his constituents noting problems with the FCC's 2020 Broadband Deployment Report which claims 98% of West Virginians have access to fixed broadband or mobile LTE coverage. On June 15, Chairman Pai wrote back saying that implementation of the Broadband DATA Act will help improve broadband deployment data, but Congress needs to appropriate $65 to the FCC to make it happen.

On June 4, eight senators wrote to Federal Communications Commission Chairman Ajit Pai about Ligado's spectrum license. The senators asked for answers to 13 questions about the FCC's decision to modify technical aspects of Ligado's license. On June 12, Chairman Pai answered the questions. 

On May 5, Sen John Kennedy (R-LA) wrote to Federal Communications Commission Chairman Ajit Pai about the C-band auction, urging the FCC to institute a "Buy American" request to all satellite operators. On June 15, Chairman Pai wrote that the five eligible space station operators are required to file their Transition Plans for FCC review by June 19. These plans should provide detailed information on the specific aspects of the planned transitions for each operator, including plans to manufacture, procure, and launch new satellites.