Pai: FCC Should Reject Calls to Ban Redskins Name

Ajit Pai

FCC Commissioner Ajit Pai did not weigh in on whether the Washington Redskins should change their name, but he did say the FCC should reject calls for the FCC to band the name, according to Broadcasting&Cable.

Pai keynoted the Media Institute's annual awards banquet. According to an advanced copy of the text, Pai cited the controversy over the name. He did not cite specifically the petitions to deny license renewals of some TV and radio stations that have used it, including one owned by Redskins owner Dan Snyder, but those petitions ask the FCC to ban use of the name from the airwaves as offensive and indecent.

Pai said he was disturbed by an "eager constituency urging the federal government to ban the team’s name from our nation’s airwaves. Just think about what that could mean. A television station could be fined for accurately reporting that the score of last Sunday’s game was the Tampa Bay Buccaneers 27, Washington Redskins 7. A radio station’s license could be revoked for using the team’s name during a news report on the controversy about the team’s name," he said.

"If the FCC took these steps, we would be squelching public debate about an issue of public concern. We would be standing in the way of media outlets reporting the news. "No federal agency should cross that line.

Read More Now