In a very short meeting Wednesday, FCC Chairman Ajit Pai thanked staffers who continued to work during the partial government shutdown, and welcomed new Commissioner Geoffrey Starks to the dais. The event, which lasted less than 20 minutes, was delayed three hours because the federal government opened late yesterday due to frigid temperatures that brought ice, cold and wind to the Washington D.C metropolitan area.
“For the first time since last June, we are at full strength,” Pai said. He noted for most of January, staffers were living, “under a cloud of uncertainty.”
The staffs of the Emergency Operations Center helped address 176 events, including providing support to a 911 call center. The Enforcement Bureau field offices handled spectrum interference complaints, including air traffic interference at four separate airports in four states, he noted.
Staffers who were furloughed, will get paid by the end of this week, thanks to employees who manually updated time cards during the shutdown, according to Pai.
Starks, who like the Chairman, hails from Kansas, was previously Assistant Bureau Chief in the Enforcement Bureau, where he focused on helping consumers, promoting network security, and preserving the integrity of the Commission’s Universal Service Fund programs. During the meeting, he said: “Throughout my career, I’ve focused on protecting the most vulnerable and holding wrongdoers accountable. I’ll continue to pursue those goals in my new job.”
The other Commissioners welcomed Starks to his new role. Commissioner Jessica Rosenworcel, up until now the sole Democrat on the dais since June, said she is looking forward, “to being a little less lonely in these parts.” She also called the shutdown, “unfortunate and reckless.” The agency opened this week, “to a torrent of email” and questions about proceedings, said Rosenworcel. “We’re still trying to figure out” which items to tackle first, “and what went unanswered.”
By Leslie Stimson, Inside Towers Washington Bureau Chief
January 31, 2019
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