WASHINGTON—FCC Chairman Ajit Pai has a little less than a month left on the job, but during that time he will preside over his 49th and final Open Commission Meeting on Jan. 13. In a blog post that usually outlines what will be on the docket for the upcoming meeting, Pai took this final opportunity to highlight a few of the accomplishments he's most proud of during his four-year stint as chairman.
Pai calls his four years “more productive, more collaborative and more transparent” than any other time in the FCC’s history. In the monthly meetings that he has conducted, he says that his commission has voted on 286 items, an average of about six per meeting; historically the average has been closer to three, per Pai. He also touts that of the votes during these meetings, 205 (71.7%) had no dissents and 253 (88.5%) were bipartisan.
The agency’s transparency efforts are also a point of pride for Pai, as after he took over it has become practice for the FCC to publish the full text of FCC meeting items three weeks in advance of votes; to include a one-page fact sheet describing what each item does; and his previously mentioned monthly blog.
For the final meeting, Pai says they will change up the proceedings a bit, asking FCC Bureaus, Offices and Task Forces to prepare presentations highlighting their most significant accomplishments over the past four years. “It’s been a privilege to work alongside these outstanding public servants,” Pai said. “Three weeks hence, the spotlight properly should shine on them.”
Pai called his tenure serving on the FCC the honor of his life.
The FCC’s January Open Commission Meeting will take place on Jan. 13.
