With hurricanes hitting the southeastern U.S., Puerto Rico, and the Caribbean, recently the FCC drew fire after millions of Americans were left without access to cellular, cable, and internet service. In response, FCC Chairman Ajit Pai, announced the agency would launch a Hurricane Recovery Task Force as the commission focuses on longer-term recovery efforts, according to the Washington Examiner.
“It is critical that we adopt a coordinated and comprehensive approach to support the rebuilding of communications infrastructure and restoration of communications services,” Pai said, when announcing the panel. “The Hurricane Recovery Task Force will allow us to do just that.”
The FCC’s response to the hurricanes raised internal criticisms from its own FCC Commissioner Jessica Rosenworcel who called on Pai to hold field hearings to address network recovery issues in affected areas, the Examiner reported.
“This agency should hold hearings in Texas, Florida, and Puerto Rico — where we are in the midst of a humanitarian crisis impacting more than three million American citizens — as soon as feasible,” Rosenworcel said in a September 26 statement on the FCC’s response to the three hurricanes. “There is ample precedent for this approach — it was used in the aftermath of Hurricane Sandy and Hurricane Katrina. I know from my experience, you learn more out on the ground than you do sitting on this dais. I hope this agency has the guts to do this.”
October 17, 2017
Reader Interactions