Media Contact: 
Will Wiquist, (202) 418-0509
will.wiquist@fcc.gov
For Immediate Release
FCC CHAIRMAN PAI TAKES FIRST STEP TO 
INCREASE TRANSPARENCY OF RULEMAKINGS
Pilot Program Will Release Documents to Public for the First Time
WASHINGTON, February 2, 2017—FCC Chairman Ajit Pai today announced a pilot program 
designed to dramatically increase the transparency of Commission rulemakings. For the first time, 
the Chairman is releasing to the public the full text of documents he circulated to his fellow 
Commissioners for a vote at the FCC’s next Open Meeting on February 23. Traditionally, these 
documents, and the draft proposals contained therein, are circulated internally three weeks before 
an Open Meeting, but are not made available to the public until after the final vote.
“Today, we begin the process of making the FCC more open and transparent,” said Chairman Pai 
at a public event today at the FCC. “We believe that releasing these documents—rather than 
keeping them behind closed doors until after our vote—will increase the public’s understanding 
of our decision-making process, and result in final rules that better serve the public interest.” 
Under the FCC’s current process, the Chairman circulates proposed rules to his fellow 
Commissioners at least three weeks prior to consideration of those items at the agency’s monthly 
public meeting. At the same time, the Commission announces its tentative agenda for the next 
meeting, followed by a formal agenda—a “Sunshine Notice”—one week prior. If successful, 
Chairman Pai’s pilot project will become a new part of this process going forward.
In the pilot, the Chairman is releasing the full text of two documents that will be listed on today’s 
tentative agenda for the February Open Meeting. The first is a Notice of Proposed Rulemaking, or 
NPRM, that solicits public input on allowing television stations to use ATSC 3.0, the next-
generation broadcast standard. The second is a Report and Order that gives AM radio 
broadcasters more flexibility in siting their FM translators.
Releasing both an NPRM and a Report and Order will provide the Commission with test cases
involving what is essentially the beginning and the end of a conversation that an administrative 
agency has with the American public about regulation.  As this is only a pilot project, the 
Chairman is not releasing the text of all the items on the meeting, but he hopes to do so in the 
future if the pilot is successful.
The documents will be available online at fcc.gov. As always, public comments can be made on 
any open docket through the Commission’s Electronic Comment Filing System: 
https://www.fcc.gov/ecfs/
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Office of Media Relations: (202) 418-0500
TTY: (888) 835-5322
Twitter: @FCC
www.fcc.gov/office-media-relations
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).