Media Contact: 
Will Wiquist, (202) 418-0509
will.wiquist@fcc.gov
For Immediate Release
FCC CHAIRMAN ANNOUNCES VISIT TO PUERTO RICO & 
U.S. VIRGIN ISLANDS IN MARCH 
Chairman Pai Will Lead Team to Review Recovery Efforts, Evaluate Lessons 
Learned from Hurricane Maria, and Prepare for Upcoming Hurricane Season
WASHINGTON, February 21, 2018—Federal Communications Commission Chairman Ajit 
Pai will visit Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands from March 7–10 to meet with local 
leaders and communications service providers and review the status of communications 
restoration efforts after the 2017 hurricane season.  He will be accompanied by members of the 
Commission’s Hurricane Recovery Task Force.  This serves as a follow-up to his trip to Puerto 
Rico last November.  It is part of the Commission’s ongoing effort to learn lessons from last 
year’s hurricane season and apply those lessons to future disasters while continuing to support 
the ongoing recovery. 
“The FCC remains committed to supporting recovery efforts and helping to restore, and in 
some cases rebuild, communications networks as quickly as possible,” said Chairman Pai.  “I 
look forward to leading a team to Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands to get a firsthand 
assessment of the situation on the ground.  It’s important to learn what has worked well and 
what could be done better—and to apply those lessons to future storms.”
The Commission has taken a number of actions in the aftermath of last year’s hurricanes.  In 
addition to providing public information on network outage conditions and sending staff to the 
islands to monitor and aid recovery efforts, the Commission advanced the territories nearly $77 
million in universal service funding to help recovery, accelerated the post-incentive auction 
transition to support Puerto Rico and U.S. Virgin Island broadcasters, granted temporary 
waivers of Lifeline’s recertification rules, expedited approval of an experimental license for 
Alphabet’s Project Loon to provide Internet access to residents, approved targeted and flexible 
E-Rate support to help restore connectivity of schools and libraries, and granted more than 500 
waivers and requests for Special Temporary Authority (STA) to help re-establish 
communications in hurricane-affected areas.
FCC actions related to Hurricanes Maria and Irma can be found here and here. 
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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).