NEWS 
Federal Communications Commission 
445 12th Street, S.W. 
Washington, D. C.  20554 
 
This is an unofficial announcement of Commission action.  Release of the full text of a Commission order constitutes official action. 
See MCI v. FCC, 515 F.2d 385 (D.C. Cir. 1974). 
 
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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE CONTACT: 
January 14, 2015 Matthew Berry (202) 418-2005 
 Email: Matthew.Berry@fcc.gov 
 
STATEMENT OF FCC COMMISSIONER AJIT PAI 
ON CALLS FOR THE FCC TO PREEMPT STATE LAWS GOVERNING MUNICIPALITIES 
As an independent agency, the FCC must make its decisions based on the law, not political 
convenience.  And U.S. Supreme Court precedent makes clear that the Commission has no authority to 
preempt state restrictions on municipal broadband projects.  The FCC instead should focus on removing 
regulatory barriers to broadband deployment by the private sector.