FCC Source: Too Soon to Make Call on Pai NAB Appearance

FCC Chairman Ajit Pai has not made a decision yet on his planned appearance next month at the National Association of Broadcasters's NAB Show, according to a source.

Pai is still slated for a Q&A with NAB President Gordon Smith at the show, which was still on as of press time according to NAB's coronavirus update page.

The FCC announced this week that it had suspended staffer travel and appearances at large gatherings. Since NAB hosts close to 100,000 people and is in Las Vegas, that would appear to fit the bill if the suspension remains in place, given the very specific wording, with the FCC "suspending until further notice any FCC involvement in non-critical large gatherings that involve participants from across the country and/or around the world." That is, unless the chairman considers his appearance there "critical."

A source familiar with the chairman's plans said it is too soon to make a determination about the NAB appearance.

Closer to home and closer in time, ACA Connects has postponed its annual summit March 17-19 in Washington, citing its concerns, and those of attendees, about the virus. 

John Eggerton

Contributing editor John Eggerton has been an editor and/or writer on media regulation, legislation and policy for over four decades, including covering the FCC, FTC, Congress, the major media trade associations, and the federal courts. In addition to Multichannel News and Broadcasting + Cable, his work has appeared in Radio World, TV Technology, TV Fax, This Week in Consumer Electronics, Variety and the Encyclopedia Britannica.