STATEMENT OF COMMISSIONER AJIT PAI Re: Amendment of Section 73.1216 of the Commission’s Rules Related to Broadcast Licensee- Conducted Contests, MB Docket No. 14-226. In 1992, two high school students tried to rig a radio contest where the tenth caller would win a trip to Hawaii. One posed as a telephone company employee purporting to check on the status of the radio station’s phone. But in reality, he was blocking calls to the station until the other student’s call could be put through. The two students were Screech and Zack, from the iconic television show Saved by the Bell. Much has changed since 1992. But one thing that hasn’t is the FCC’s Contest Rule, which was adopted way back in 1976. 1 When Zack, Screech, Kelly, and A.C. were roaming the halls of Bayside High School, it might have made sense for the Commission to require broadcasters to periodically disclose over the air all of a contest’s material terms. But in 2015, this requirement reflects neither current technology nor how Americans consume information. Indeed, announcements of contest terms aren’t exactly compelling content, and they can cause listeners to turn the dial. That’s why, in the summer of 2013, I proposed that the Commission modernize the Contest Rule. Specifically, at Pittsburgh’s KDKA, home to the nation’s first commercial radio broadcast, I suggested giving broadcasters the option of disclosing the material terms of a contest on air or in writing on a publicly accessible website. Today, I am pleased that the Commission is taking this simple and straightforward step. Now, instead of trudging through each and every contest rule on air, a broadcaster can simply refer listeners to a publicly accessible website. This flexibility will be good for broadcasters. Moreover, posting contest rules online will be good for interested consumers, who will be able to review them whenever they want. And critically, this change is consistent with the basic purposes of our Contest Rule, which are for broadcasters to provide full and accurate disclosures of contest terms and to conduct contests substantially as announced or advertised. I would like to thank Commissioner O’Rielly for his leadership on this issue and the staff of the Media Bureau for their work on this reform. This is a good example of how the Commission can make sure that our rules reflect the modern marketplace. From AM radio to the IP transition, I hope that we will continue to work together to ease outdated regulatory burdens in the months to come. 1 47 C.F.R. § 73.1216.