Federal Communications Commission "FCC XX-XXX" STATEMENT OF CHAIRMAN AJIT PAI Re: Channel Lineup Requirements—Sections 76.1705 and 76.1700(a)(4), MB Docket No. 18-92; Modernization of Media Regulation Initiative, MB Docket No. 17-105. Visitors to the FCC’s headquarters may notice several new apartment buildings just around the corner. And although our booming neighborhood boasts some great coffee shops and eateries, it doesn’t have a local cable office. In fact, our new neighbors would have to walk over a mile to find the closest local cable office, and the second-closest office is over five miles away. Given that the FCC requires cable operators to keep an in-office list of the television channels each cable system delivers to its subscribers, one might worry that our local lacuna might make it hard for residents to find out what cable channels are offered here. But fortunately, it’s 2019, not 1972. And our new neighbors have plenty of easy ways to find their cable channel lineups from the comfort of a couch: for example, their cable provider’s websites, on-screen electronic program guides, or just a basic Internet search. Easy access is no accident; video providers in this competitive marketplace have every incentive to let consumers know what channels they offer. So it is that we adopt today our twelfth order eliminating or updating obsolete rules and procedures through the Commission’s Modernization of Media Regulation Initiative. Specifically, we eliminate Section 76.105, which contains the requirement that cable operators maintain current channel listings at their local office. We also erase Section 76.1700(a)(4), which requires cable operators with 1,000 or more subscribers to make channel lineups available through the Commission’s online public inspection file. By applying the other end of the pencil yet again, we continue to update our media regulations to match the realities of today’s marketplace. It is our own lineup of stellar staff that enabled us to reach this result. For their efforts, I thank Michelle Carey, Martha Heller, Kim Matthews, and Holly Saurer from the Media Bureau, and David Konczal from the Office of General Counsel. 2