NEWS Federal Communications Commission 445 12 th Street, S.W. Washington, DC 20554 This is an unofficial announcement of Commission action. Release of the full text of a Commission order constitutes official acti on. See MCI v. FCC, 515 F.2d 385 (D.C. Cir. 1974). News Media Information: (202) 418-0500 Internet: http://www.fcc.gov TTY: (888) 835-5322 FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE CONTACT: July 18, 2014 Matthew Berry (202) 418-2005 Email: Matthew.Berry@fcc.gov STATEMENT OF COMMISSIONER AJIT PAI ON THE PULLING OF THE AWS-3 COORDINATION ITEM FROM COMMISSION CONSIDERATION When you’re told that you must vote on an item before you can learn what you’re voting on, something is very wrong. But regrettably, this is just the latest breakdown in process at the Federal Communications Commission. Recently, I received a draft order that purported to change some of the AWS-3 geographic coordination zones adopted by the FCC back in March. 1 But there was a catch. The draft did not say what the relevant new zones would look like. So I asked for the answers to two elementary questions. How does this document change the zones? And what are the new zones? I had thought that these were quite reasonable inquiries. So I was surprised when my requests for this basic information were denied. Instead, I was told that after the Commission adopted the item, I would be briefed on the new zones. My position is simple. I can’t cast an informed vote on new coordination zones if I don’t know what those coordination zones are. Voting first and then learning about what you’ve voted on is irresponsible. Unfortunately, others disagreed; the item was pulled from the full Commission and pushed out at the Bureau level today. 2 This is no way to run a railroad. 1 Amendment of the Commission’s Rules with Regard to Commercial Operations in the 1695–1710 MHz, 1755–1780 MHz, and 2155–2180 MHz Bands, GN Docket No. 13-185, Report and Order, 29 FCC Rcd 4610 (2014). 2 The Federal Communications Commission and the National Telecommunications and Information Administration: Coordination Procedures in the 1695-1710 MHz and 1755-1780 MHz Bands, GN Docket No. 13-185, Public Notice, DA 14-1023 (July 18, 2014).