we welcome you today. you were born in kansas? >> guest: i was actually born in buffalo new york. >> armstrong: bump know new york. >> guest: and moved to canada for a few years. and in 1977 when i was 4-year-old i moved to pa parsons kansas, from from there i until high school i was there. >> what were your doctors. >> my dad is a urologist and my mom is an anesthesiologist. >> when you take interest in becoming a lawyer? >> it wasn't until i got into college. i started out premed, and i remember the first year being in the chemistry lab, and doing all of this work and thinking i don't really enjoy this this much. i was in classes write was writing and debating, and the law seems very much in keeping with that. over time as i pursued my academic studies and i the debate team as well, went and applied for law school. i didn't have any lawyers in my family and flying blind and ended up going to the university of chicago and enjoyed that, too. there's a lot of institutions and the university and chicago law school. did you see yourself growing up as a minority facing many of the issues that minorities feel in terms of the getting into the best schools and having the best opportunities in america. do you relate to any of those stories. >> guest: yes, and no, yes in the sense that when i was coming through law school, there were very few asian americans at that time who were in my law school class. it wasn't that i heard a lot of my peers doing. now when you go, it's incredible how diverse the law school populations are for all kinds of minorities, my parents always told me that you are an individual, you have got to succeed on your own merits and never try to ascribe a blame or credit to other people. you rise work you put in. that is something that really pounded into me for quite a while. so i always tried to think, was i doing the best i could with the opportunity i have been given. that's because now that i'm in this position, i feel so incredibly blessed to have the their guidance and my grandparents guidance. they're the ones who have made me who i am. >> armstrong: you were at one time working for jeff sessions. >> i did. i worked in the judiciary committee. i worked for him in a while. and i want learned a lot about the law and politics by his side. what is it about the law and politics that has changed so much from those days fast forward to where we are today? >> part of it is that the political scene has gotten so divisive. i know every generation says that, but i feel now, even compared to back then in 2003, that there's much less willingness to reach across the aisle to hear the other person when i was on the committee, for example, i routinely worked with some of my friends on the other side of the aisle to see if there were areas of common ground. if they were, we tried to work together in that spirit. now in seems like just the new cycle and social media and all of the toll political anger that is out there, makes people want to retreat into their own camps. that unfortunate, because there's a lot for that unites us than divides us. when you ask people, one the common themes is that this guy really has courage. he is tough, he is known for who he is, he understands and respects the law, and he has no political agenda. he really enforces the law, it doesn't matter what side comes in terms of the criticism. where does that come from? where do you find that kind of self awareness, that kind of courage that propels you to have the sort of, no bars hold, to get it done. >> guest: i really the sent mint first and foremost. it comes from my training as a lawyer. the rule of law is what distinguishes america from so many other countries clout the world and throughout history. fact that with have the constitution and laws of the united states that set the rules, and people can follow those rules to better themselves and better their family. this is the fundamental propositions of americans. cutting corners is not that i -- i want to make sure that we stick within the letter of the law because i think it's important for people to be able to rely on it and make sure that the government officials know that they are watching and are accountable. that is something i have always tried to embrace. >> armstrong: what else is unusual for you, before we get into and make segueway, we are trying to understand what the fcc means and the chair, because you don't think people can grasp what that entails? how did you end up at the fcc. you have been there for a long >> guest: it is a long timement i often compare myself to the forest gump of the legal profession. i started working for a judge out of law school. i thought i was going to go back to kansas and practice at a firm. started talking with him, and he suggested that i apply to the antitrust division and they put me telecom, and i ended working for verizon, and senate judiciary committee. i had to figure, what it is i want to do with the rest of my career, 34, rather, so i went to the federal communication commission and the general counsel of offices of lawyer. that would be my way to get back in telecom field, and after four years ix i went to a firm here in washington d.c. first day i got a call from the senator mcconnell's office, would you be interested in interviewing for this division of the fcc. i didn't plan it had to happen, i never counted it on it happening, that is the reason that i feel so blessed that he picked my name out of the hat and i tried to make the most of the opportunity ever since. >> armstrong: before you were commissioner you were a lawyer there. >> guest: yes,. >> armstrong: and you were a commissioner until call from the president. >> i spent a year at the law firm. president obama nominated in 2011 and i was confirmed in 2012 by the senate. from 2012 i have been at the fcc again. >> armstrong: hold your horses because when you hear what this man is responsible for, and what it means to be the chairman of the fcc ask what the fcc is in. you will be stunned at how much it impacts your life especially when you watch this little video box called the television. don't go away. >> armstrong: i'm armstrong williams and this is the "right side forum." ♪ ♪ welcome back with fcc chairman pai. explain to us, the fcc and your responsibility. so the commission is the nation's communication's regulator. it was established in 1934 and there's currently 5 commissioners who allocated to the fcc. he set communication policies for the entire country. anything having to do with radio, tv or satellite or wireless or telephone or the internet that you have, we have a pretty gro broad jurisdictiond our goal is to modernize our communication system so that every american can have access to cutting edge communication services. my own goal as a chairman of the agency are, since i am the chief cue tive officer of the fcc are to modernize the rules, to make sure that everyone who wants internet access is able to get it. to make sure that we are as transparent as we can be. and work with the members of congress, administration and the public to see how we can work to move barred to deliver digital opportunity to >> armstrong: talk about when you say regulating television, telecom, and the broadcast industry, what does that really mean for everyday america. >> guest: we regulate the spectrum, the public airways that used to deliver a video signal or wireless signal. that is public trust that we hold we want to make sure that every broadcaster or wireless company is using that to benefit consumers. one of high chief goals has been to get more spectrum into the marketplace so that consumers can have better wireless service. whether or not you know the particulars of fcc policies it benefits everybody. >> armstrong: have you ever think, when you made the decision of being a lawyer at the fcc ten years ago that you could rise to the position of chairman? >> guest: i can say with all the candor that i had zero idea that anything like this was possible or that i i was keeping my nose down trying to do my work. and it was the case of being at the right place at the right time, and you know, i was fortunate to get tapped in 2011 to be a commissioner. i obviously didn't know how the 2016 election was going to turn out. once it didn't turn out the way it did, i didn't have any expectation that i was going to be a shoe in to lead the agency. i have been fortunate of people who have vouched for me and have had my back. >> armstrong: what is interesting that unlike a lot of people who were appointed, you didn't have a relationship with the president. it was really about your reputation and your effectiveness as a commissioner and the fact that you have been at the commission for ten years, and so that is even more impressive. >> guest: well, thanks, that is one of the things i find especially gratifying is that i wanted to build a record what i was a commissioner that would stand on its own. i was fortunate to have people who represented the him on january 16th that i was somebody who had hit the ground running. i had worked hard, and done my job and tried to deliver value for the american people. and i'm very fortunate that he saw it the same way and certainly, i'm looking forward to carrying out that same spirit with me. as long as i have the privilege of serving as chairman. >> armstrong: what do you think of the internet when it becomes predatory with people and sexual human trafficking and children that parents can't always monitor. >> guest: it's hard. i'm the parent of two children, ages 5 and 3, and they are thinking of of the internet as a common thing that is all around them all the time. as a parent, obviously, that is good in some ways, there's a lot of educational tools that weren't around when i was a kid, but there's also the down side. and i think it's really important to make sure parents have the tools that they need in order to make sure that the kids have a safe online experience if they're going to it's not easy. there's millions of sites out there. we don't police them. as the fcc we are not in the business of regulating the content that goes over those internet pipes so to speak. that is something i do take seriously as a parent. >> armstrong: what do you find that the media serves best to serve the american people. >> to me when there's a public safety emergency, a hurricane, a tornado, the wire tours are down, and internet is down, sometimes you can't get power. it's amazing how many people turn to their batter other powered radio or tvies to get le saving information. i met with broadcasters during a flood and landslide in washington state that broadcasters are the ones who were able to provide life saving information. even in my part of the woods in southeast, kansas when there was a devastating tornado in five years ago, broadcasters were providing information 24-7. they didn't run any commercials, because they wanted to make sure their communities were connected with information that could help them. i can tell you that a lot of people still remember that. they have great dedication to their grod casters because they know they -- their broadcasters because they know they are serving the public interest especially on emergencies. you get to see people without that. >> guest: it's incredible e i've been in small towns in alaska where loved ones go into the alaskan bush, and the am broadcaster is the only connection between family members. i saw a he a few slips of papers by the program director microphone. what is that? he told me, these are some of the notes that the family member give me to say on the air, because the guys are out in the bush and all they got is the and they know my loved ones are thinking of me, and they're okay. it's small things like that serve as a lifeline. we often take it for granted but it's one of the oldest and tried and true communication media that we have. >> armstrong: the chai chairmanf the fcc the honorable. ajit pai, i'm armstrong williams and we'll be right back. of accidental death for young children. simple safety steps are the best way to prevent these tragedies. make sure kids learn how to swim. designate an adult water watcher to watch kids in and around water. save the phone calls and texts for when the kids are out of the water. properly fence all pools with fences at least four feet high and with self-closing, self-latching gates. when above ground pools aren't in use remove the ladders. when pools aren't in use, cover them. teach kids to stay away from drains. and if a child is missing check the pool or spa first. consider the steps you take then add a few more. because you never know which pool safety step will save a life until it does. simple steps save lives to learn some new ones visit poolsafely.gov ♪ ♪ ♪ >> armstrong: welcome back with our very special guest the chair of the fcc, the honorable ajit pai. you remind us whether you talk about going to alaska. i mean so many people in this country don't have the latest technology, all they have is their am, their television examine we take it for granted because we live in big cities that have sort of the access to all this technology and that is not really the case. >> guest: i have seen it in all kinds of places, and i was visiting a 911 center, in a small town in west virginia, when they had flooding recently, all of the communication systems went down. it's incredible that the things that we take for granted, they can't. there's parts of west virginia that don't have it's to recognize that a lot of americans, can't have access to the same opportunity. and to me, that is the core mission of the fcc is to close the digital divide to make sure that every american has a chance to succeed or fail on his or her own merits. that all you can ask and that is the essential part of american dream. >> armstrong: how do you navigate your decisions when you, you have all of these big mergers that are being presented before the fcc, how do you balance, because you believe in innovation, you believe in the market, you don't believe in stifling innovation, but how do you balance that against monopolies, and also the best interests of everyday people that they're not these costs are not passed on to them and they get shabby service in the process. that is the core question. any deal that is presented to me big or small. my basic question is this deal, if it's approved going to that is always the test. it's not whether or not some companies can get a bigger margin on their bottom line or that kind of thing. it's always, are consumers going to be better off? we take i a sober look at the facts that are presented to us by all the interested parties. they have to file a bunch of papers with us, and we apply the facts of those facts, and we make a determination. is this going to be good or bad. if we think it's going to be bad, are there conditions that we can apply. you can do the deal, but will those conditions make it positive for consumers. if the answer to the question is no. then we have to disapprove the deal. we have to be very objective and not give fear or favor to any particular company or sector the industry. howe do you make sure that -- how do you make sure that the internet is affordable to disadvantaged communities? >> guest: that is the fundamental question, because a lot of the infrastr companies want to get a return on that investment. for me there's a couple of different tools in the toolbox that the fcc has. he with have federal subsidies that we can give in order to aid the deployment of affordable broad bands, for example. na is one of the tools, and another tool is to relax some the regulations to make it easier for the companies to buildinfrastructure, and competition is better con customers and working with congress. the fcc doesn't have all the power in the world to make these networks affordable. often we have engaged with the administration and congress to is see if there's different legislative solutions to the problem, too. i'm committed to using awful those tools to -- all of those tools to deliver more affordable services for america. do you have to continue learning about the latest innovations in hafted game and to understand what is before you as a chairman? >> guest: it is hard. i feel like it's been said in every age, but even now, particularly now, i feel like technology is changing so quickly that it's almost difficult to keep up with every single development in the marketplace. so i begin my day by reading a lot. i follow on twitter a different sources that tell me about the different technologies to learn what they're about. when i go on the road sometimes it's to trade shows where i can test out for myself, see what virtual reality is like, how connected drones can help broadcasters that cover stories in places like whether a forest fire for example. those are the kind of things that help inform me. i try to incorporate that into pie decision making -- my decision making to make sure we're not taking a snapshot of the moment in time, and assume that technology is going to be the same way. we have to be forward-looking in our rules and regulations otherwise we are going to stand in the way of that kind innovation. >> armstrong: we'll be back, don't go ♪ ♪ ♪ this is important, because if you ask yourself where am i, and you take a look at your life and you see where your life is, and you don't like it, because adam didn't like where he was. the first thing you got to settle is who is to blame? whose fault is it? and you don't project it on someone else. [applause] yo you accept responsibility. this is where i am, and contributions made by other people, i'm not going -- >> armstrong: welcome backment you know, is there a website for people to learn more about the fc. >> guest: there is. fcc.gov. you can find my page and the pages of my fellow commissioners. >> armstrong: we want to thank chairman pai so much for joining us today. chairman pai is a political. he cares about the rule of law. if you have a phone, watching tv, listening to radio, love the internet, this is the man. he is the chairman. i'm armstrong williams. good day from the forum, thank you for joining us. did you know that 2 billion people worldwide lack access to safe surgery? together with operation smile we believe every child suffering from cleft lip or cleft palate deserves exceptional care no matter where they're born. this is your chance to comfort parents who may have lost hope that surgery is an option for their child. it starts with healing that one child. learn more at operationsmile.org good morning. i'm linzie janis. >> and i'm kendis gibson. the hunt for a nightclub killer. shots fired in a packed cincinnati club. authorities say they know of no link to terrorism, but they don't know who fired the shots. breaking overnight, an avalanche roared through a ski resort north of tokyo. it left at least six high school students unconscious. several others are missing. those students were taking part in a mountain climbing exercise when the snow gave way. the state department is condemning the arrest of hundreds of anti-corruption protesters across russia in the country's largest show of defiance since a wave of demonstrations years ago.