STATEMENT OF
COMMISSIONER AJIT PAI
Re:   Applications of AT&T Inc., E.N.M.R. Telephone Cooperative, Plateau Telecommunications, Inc., 
New Mexico RSA 4 East Limited Partnership, and Texas RSA 3 Limited Partnership, For Consent 
to Assign Licenses and Authorizations, WT Docket No. 14-144.
With today’s decision, we apply for the first time the “enhanced” review that the Commission 
adopted last year for transactions involving certain amounts of below-1 GHz spectrum.
1
  I dissented from 
that decision, explaining that the vague new standard would leave consumers worse off by injecting 
needless uncertainty into secondary market transactions and preventing spectrum from flowing to its 
highest valued use.
2
But there may be a silver lining after all.  The Commission’s enhanced review here considers the 
same factors, employs the same level of scrutiny, and achieves the same results as our traditional review.  
I hope this isn’t a singularity but instead a sign of the Commission’s approach going forward.  American 
consumers ultimately benefit from a predictable and transparent approach to all secondary market 
transactions.
                                                     
1
See Policies Regarding Mobile Spectrum Holdings Expanding the Economic and Innovation Opportunities of 
Spectrum Through Incentive Auctions, WT Docket No. 12-269, GN Docket No. 12-268, Report and Order, 29 FCC 
Rcd 6133 (2014).
2
Id. at 6268–74 (Dissenting Statement of Commissioner Ajit Pai).