52 GRE G WALDEN, OREGON CHAIRMAN ONE HUNDRED FIFTEENTH CONGRESS FRANK PALLONE, JR., NEW J ER SEY RANKING MEMBER ~ongre~~ of tbe mtnttell ~tate~ T!)ouse of ll\epresentatibes COMMITTEE ON ENERGY AND COMMERCE 2125 R AYBURN H o u sE O FFICE BuiLDING W ASHINGTON, DC 20515-6115 The Honorable Ajit Pai Chairman Federal Communications Commission 445 12th St SW Washington, DC 20554 Dear Chairman Pai: Majority (202) 225- 2927 Minority (202) 225-3641 January 23, 2017 Congratulations on yom recent appointment as the Chair of the Federal Communications Commission (FCC). By some measures, the FCC oversees approximately one sixth of the United States economy. Your success at managing such a critical agency is dependent on your ability to be responsive to members of Congress on both sides of the aisle; your willingness to drive towards consensus on major Commission actions; and your respect for career staff-the lifeblood ofthe agency. First, as an independent agency, the FCC operates under authority delegated to it from Congress. That means the agency's primary responsibility is to the legislative, rather than the executive branch. As Chair of the agency, we hope you will be fully responsive to all members of Congress and cooperate fully with all Congressional investigations. Second, as you have correctly said many times, the FCC works best when its leadership works in a bipartisan fashion towards consensus. The industries overseen by the Commission are becoming only more important to our economy and our democracy. As a result, an effective, bipartisan regulator is critical to ensuring our continued success. We hope that you continue to advocate for a bipartisan, inclusive Commission and choose the bipat1isan approach. Finally, a successful agency respects its civil servants. The hardworking employees of the FCC m·e respected throughout the industry as true experts in their fields. While the new Administration is entitled to select political appointees who share the President-Elect's views, the Commission's career staff serve an invaluable pmpose and should be respected. To ensure that your term is as successful as possible, we ask that you make the following commitments: The Honorable Ajit Pai January 23, 2017 Page 2 1. As Chair, you will ensure that the Commission will brief relevant Committee leadership--no matter their pariy-on all major decisions before the Commission acts and that you will be responsive to all Congressional inquiries. 2. As Chair, you will work with your colleagues in a bipartisan fashion to reach consensus before moving ahead with major policy decisions. 3. As Chair, you will not take any effort to retaliate against, undetmine, demote or marginalize civil servants on the basis of their analysis or their work under previous Commission leadership. We believe that living up to these commitments will increase the likelihood of a successful term as Chair. We wish you well in your new role. Sincerely, /1,J?vf'o~~ Mike Doyle Ranking Member Subcommittee on Communications and Technology