FCC January Meeting Tentative Agenda Seen Likely to Be on Light Side
The FCC's tentative agenda for the Jan. 31 commissioners' meeting is due out Tuesday and it could be relatively modest, industry contacts told us. Chairmen generally don't load up the January meeting with major actions unless there's some compelling reason,…
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some said Monday. "Because of the timing, it’s customary for votes at the January meeting to be light and for reports to dominate the agenda. And now you have the transition complexity," said Wilkinson Barker communications lawyer Rosemary Harold. The meeting will be the first under Republican control, following the swearing-in of Donald Trump as president Jan. 20, and with FCC Chairman Tom Wheeler planning to depart by then, GOP Commissioners Ajit Pai and Michael O'Rielly will constitute the majority. "I think it’s going to be tough for them to put out a very aggressive [tentative] agenda for the 31st because who’s going to be chairman?" said another industry representative. "I don’t think Pai or O’Rielly want to look like they’ve been entrusted with the job. I think it’s going to be Pai, but I think he has to be careful about that.” Pai is expected to be named at least interim chairman, but Trump could nominate somebody else for permanent chairman. The industry representative said Trump shouldn't feel pressured to name the permanent chairman, given the 2-1 majority, unless he's eager to name somebody else to the commission, perhaps paired with recently departed Democratic Commissioner Jessica Rosenworcel, who has the backing of key senators for re-appointment.