Federal Communications Commission FCC 18-8
STATEMENT OF
CHAIRMAN AJIT PAI
Re:  Amendment of Section 73.3613 of the Commission’s Rules Regarding Filing of Contracts, MB 
Docket No. 18-4; Modernization of Media Regulation Initiative, MB Docket No. 17-105.
Back in 1939, The Wizard of Oz first hit the silver screen.  That same year, the FCC began 
requiring broadcast station licensees and permittees to file with us hard copies of certain contracts and 
other documents relating to station ownership and operation.
Many still consider The Wizard of Oz to be a timeless classic and one of the greatest films of all 
time.  But our broadcast contract filing rules haven’t aged so gracefully.
Paper filings may once have been the most efficient mechanism for ensuring these documents 
were accessible to the FCC and the public.  But in the digital age, this requirement no longer makes sense.  
As a result of updates in 2012 to our public file rules, broadcasters are required to make these same 
documents available via their online public inspection files.  Online access would continue even if we 
ultimately eliminate the paper filing requirement.
I’d like to thank the dedicated staff who worked on this Notice: Ben Arden, Michelle Carey, 
Christopher Clark, Martha Heller, Brendan Holland, and Mary Beth Murphy of the Media Bureau, and 
Susan Aaron and Dave Konczal from the Office of General Counsel.  And thanks in advance for your 
future efforts as we continue to follow the yellow brick road to our destination: a modernized set of media 
regulations.