FCC Commissioner Says AM Radio Should Be Revived

It's not often you hear a Commissioner with the Federal Communications Commission on radio speaking with a morning host; but, that's exactly what happened this morning on Keeler.

Ajit Pai is the lone Republican Commissioner with the Federal Communications Commission and he has a goal to save AM radio before it goes by the wayside.

“AM radio is localism, it is community,” Mr. Pai, 40, said in an interview with the New York Times.

Pai told Keeler he remembers listening to his high school football championship game on an am radio because his mother wouldn't let him go to the game.  He stressed the fact that am radio will remain relevant as long as the content is relevant.

“When the power goes out, when you can’t get a good cell signal, when the Internet goes down, people turn to battery-powered AM radios to get the information they need,” Mr. Pai said in the article.

Pai was also familiar with WIBX, referring to the radio station's history dating back more than 80 years.  He said it's important for the FCC to reduce regulations that impede broadcast companies from making improvements to am radio stations. He said he would like to see broadcasters invest in the band.

Click below to read Pai's interview with the New York Times, as well as audio from Tuesday morning's interview on First News with Keeler in the Morning on WIBX.

Click Here to Read Pai's Interview in the New York Times.

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