FCC's Pai Bullish On AM Radio, FM Chips

Ajit Pai

In a Radio Show interview with NAB President/CEO Gordon Smith, FCC Commissioner Ajit Pai hopes the agency will take action in the short term on the AM revitalization proceeding, according to RadioWorld.

In his third Radio Show appearance, the commissioner from Kansas hopes the commission will “get rid of the Ratchet Rule” and open a special FM translator window for AM owners “no later than 2015.”

He’s urging the agency to look at other ideas in the long term, like possibly authorizing all-digital AM and determining whether to ease skywave protections. “AM radio is where Democrats and Republicans can come together,” he said.