amy: i want to turn to the fcc ajit pai lasast month.attacked or groupup, free press. >> cononsider the leading specel interest in n favor of title ii. numumerous --rlyly nanamed freeee press. they make nono effort to hide ee oup's true a agenda. while e he says we're not at aa point yet where we canan mpletetely eliminanate the tetelephonone and cable e compa, he admits "thehe ultimate goal s to g get rid of the media capitalist and the phone and cable companies and to divest them from control." amy: craig aaron, defend yourself. >> i appreciate being called a leading group. besides that, obviously, this is the kind of new mccarthyism and redbaiting that we thought we left in the past. the reality is, free press for 10 years has five for the free and open internet, advocated for net neutrality, and there are thousands and thousands and thousands of pages filed at the fcc, office published, female sent, our website is filled with content saying exactly why we stand where we do and exactly what we want, which is likely internet.ree and op

shery: that was fcc chairman ajit pai.e says where the money comes the pans on congress, including credit, before the process takes place. some of these small and rural carriers do not have the money to carry this out. amanda: great interview. still ahead, more details on walgreens, said to be exploring a potential deal to take the company private. this is bloomberg. ♪ amanda: this is bloomberg markets. i'm amanda lang in toronto. shery: i'm shery ahn in new york. let's get more on that breaking headlines from earlier this hour. walgreens sent to explore a potential deal to go private. it would be the largest leveraged buyout in history. ed hammond joins us now with the details. he helped to break the story. .e had a guest earlier as soon as he heard the breaking news, said it would not happen. too much money. what are you hearing? ed: understandable instinct, and people are saying that. it may will not happen. the biggest leveraged buyout in history. even if you factor in the fact that the ceo has 16% of the company, pres

talk about the significance of to beevation of ajit pai to head of the fcc and the stance he takes. >ajit pai is the new sec chairman and should come as a surprise to no one that he poses a significant threat, not only to net neutrality, but also to the digital divide. in his first week in office, he talked a good game about bridging the digital divide. actions speak louder than words. there is a very, very troubling history of voting against reforms to both bring affordable access to poor americans, low-income americans, to people of color who disproportionately lack home internet access, but also a troubling history of voting against net neutrality. he voted against the lifeline order to modernize lifeline and bring affordable log in to low income families. he voted against the rate order to help bring high-speed internet to high schools and libraries and poor neighborhoods. he voted against net neutrality to get the internet opens up people who do not usually get a spot in mainstream media can't tell their own stories, can organize for justice, and can make a living. we are very co

coming up, fcc chairman ajit pai calls for a review of net neutrality. nders vow a tsunami of resistance. we'll hear from chairman pai. if you like bloomberg news, check us out on the radio. you can listen on the bloomberg app and in the u.s. on sirius xm. this is bloomberg. ♪ ways wins. especially in my business. with slow internet from the phone company, you can't keep up. you're stuck, watching spinning wheels and progress bars until someone else scoops your story. switch to comcast business. with high-speed internet up to 10 gigabits per second. you wouldn't pick a slow race car. then why settle for slow internet? comcast business. built for speed. built for business. did you know slow internet can actually hold your business back? say goodbye to slow downloads, slow backups, slow everything. comcast business offers blazing fast and reliable internet that's over 6 times faster than slow internet from the phone company. say hello to internet speeds up to 250 mbps. and add phone and tv for only $34.90 more a month. call today. comcast business. built fo

in this remarkable moment, a joke made by ajit pai when he was the featured speaker last week at the deral communications bar association's annual dinner. in response to accusations that he's a corporate shill for the telecommunications industry, pai is a former for ice a lawyer, he played what he jokingly called a "leaked, 14-year-old video" that was actually a recorded skit, supposedly set in 2003 in verizon's d.c. office, where pai worked as an attorney before joining the fcc. in the video, a verizon executive tells pai the fcc is captured by the industry, but "not captured enough, so we have a plan." "what plan?" pai asks. the executive responds, "we want to brainwash and groom a verizon puppet to install as fcc chair. think 'manchurian candidate.'" to which pai replies, "that sounds awesome." this is a clip supposedly of the leaked video. listen closely. [indiscernible] amy: this was played in the last few weeks. the verizon executive in the skit with fcc chairman pai is verizon senior vice president and deputy general counsel kathy grillo. joe, if you could talk about the signif

joining us is the federal communications commission's chairman, ajit pai. l to have you with us. first of all, i want to ask about how you intend to take on the tsunami of resistance. have you braced yourself? chairman pai: this is going to be a political debate that will engage millions of people. we will stay focused on the facts and the law. americans believe in a free and open internet, but they also want to have infrastructure investment. they want those next generation networks to be built out. we don't need heavy-handed regulations that saddle businesses with a lot of rules that this incentivize them from building those networks. that's going to be the course we are charting henceforth. caroline: have you had commitments from the internet service providers that, if these rules are repealed or changed, they will invest? i'm looking at the profits of at&t, $14 billion, $8 billion if you are comcast. shares have risen since that original ruling of net neutrality. they don't seem to have really been hurt. chairman pai: they are down 5.6% for the top 12 br

don't miss ajit pai on the latest efforts amid the virus ayitustbak st wh issues facing our world, what do you see? we see a billion more people breathing free. we see access to fresh food being the global norm, not the exception. we see homes staying cooler, without the planet getting warmer. at emerson, when issues become inspiration, focusing core strengths to create a better world isn't just a result, it's a responsibility. emerson. consider it solved. so it doesn't make a whole lot of financial sense for them to stay in this great big house. but, well, this is home. it's where they raised their three boys. could they downsize? sure. will they? not as long as thanksgiving is a holiday. planning for the future is about more than just money. let equitable be your guide. >>> on a day when we have record jobless claims and multiple people who are working are trying to work from home, joining us to talk about cyber security risks for business, is ceo and shark tank investor robert good morning great to have you back. >> good morning jon, morgan, carl, thanks for having me. >> i want to s

>> guest: ajit pai is a superb follow, a great man. he is, he is certainly understood and it is paying off now the irreplaceable importance of broadcasting in the firmament of telecommunications to the american people, and i had planned to ask him about things like ownership restrictions on broadcasting that certainly doesn't apply to social media platforms or other entrance in telecommuting, only broadcasting is kept intentionally small and sometimes we need scale to be able to compete. not sometimes, we do need scale to compete with these new entrants in communications. but there's lots of issues. we were going to talk about the repack of the spectrum, the spectrum repack after the sale of a whole bunch of our broadcast spectrum where people need to rescan the television sets. we are literally in the last phase of that. it's supposed to be over by the summer but phased-in, which is on the horizon. already chairman pai his head we are going to give you more flexibility if this virus gets in the way of deadlines. we will give you that f

. >> tonight on the communicators, outgoing chair of the fcc, i jide by, on the -- ajit pai. >> i do think time has come for congress to put on the printed page those open internet protections that all of us can agree on. no throttling, no prioritization, transparency. these are basic principles we can all agree on but, again, it is up to elected officials and the next congress. i hope we will not see a reprieve of what we saw in 2017 and 2018. >> new york governor andrew cuomo delivered his annual state of the state address in albany. the governor spoke about the to covid-19 and called on the state to provide more funding. his current term and sin january, 20 -- his current term ends in january, 2023. gov. cuomo: good morning to all. please welcome the lieutenant governor. the attorney general, and the leader andrea stewart cousins, speaker carl heastie, assembly minority leader who are all joining us electronically in this special year. in this special year. happy new year to all. i believe it is with near universal relief that 2020 has comean

but i think our chairman ajit pai, has long had a principled position that he's reflected as chairman of the fcc. and yet he has taken a lot of heat for it too but we were unable to deal with it in congress to settle the issue. it does fall with the fcc i suspect it will ping-pong back and forth for the right policy until evidence is in and proven to be a problem congress can address it, come up with constitutional majorities. cspan: before we get any further into issues. bring paul kirby of telecommunications reports into this conversation. >> thank you. one position you do have a position on as a group of repacking tvizations after after the auction earlier this year. 1000 stations are repacked. fcc set a 39 month time frame. congress earmarked $1.7 billion but that is not enough money. >> yes. >> give the concerns at this point or do you hope congress comes up with the money sooner rather than later? some folks say fcc has more money now and congress should come forward with the little ways down the time frame? >> sooner than better, congress in my opinion is not able to do things

. >> host: ajit pai grew up in parsons, kansas. he attended harvard and the university of chicago law school. he worked on capitol hill for the senate judiciary committee as well as worked at the fcc prior to becoming a commissioner in 2012. all right. is the commission set up, in your view, for the 21st century? is it structured correctly? >> guest: that's a really good question. certainly in terms of process, i think the answer is, no. i think that we have a lot of cumbersome rules and regulations that operate -- that govern our operation that need to be modernized, and i commend congress in particular for looking at ways of streamlining that. the consolidated reporting act, process reform act found bipartisan support in the house, for example, would help us become a more modern agency. there are also things i think we need to do, and we don't require congressional authorization to do that have been languishing. almost three years ago now, for example, i proposed the creation of an fcc dash boar, a single -- dashboard, a single w

earlier today, i sat down with ajit pai who warned chinese tech firms pose a threat to u.s. security. take a listen. mr. pai: we have seen a great variety of evidence with respect to particular chinese vendors of behaving in ways that are not consistent with the rule of law with free markets and the like. earlier this year, the department of justice announced an indictment against huawei in which case the indictment specifically states huawei officials offered bonuses to individuals who successfully stole confidential information from certain businesses. more generally speaking, this is part of the overall chinese government effort we fear to leverage their influence over global commerce. shery: no wonder they have to see has about coming up to prohibit companies of receiving federal subsidies from buying equipment from huawei and zte. will this banning of firms of selling to huawei or carriers not be allowed to use cheaper tiny equipment of an impact on the u.s. firms and jobs? mr. pai: i start with a bedrock principle. when it comes to the security of america's committee c

latest and most controversial of a series of changes led by chairman ajit pai .r the last year, he has also loosened rules aimed at limiting media consolidation and scaled back a program aimed at expanding broadband access among low-income americans. for more we're joined by maya , wiley, senior vice president for social justice and professor of public and urban policy at the new school. welcome to democracy now! talk about your concerns. this vote that happened on thursday, is it set in stone? there are still movements all over the country that are pushing back very hard. >> absolutely. let's start with the fact this is a devastating blow to all of the ways we have come to understand the internet, even those who are part of the founding of the internet have expressed deep, deep concern for the failure to protect net neutrality. even though we just got the rules in 2015, the truth is, we been fighting for net neutrality since the mid-2000's. this isn't really new. the fact there was a fight meant we were essentially seeing some sense onin the gentle internet serv

he directed much of his criticism to fcc chairman ajit pai. is we's the argument don't need title to to have net neutrality. but some of his ideas are almost laughablbly l lax. he reportedly floaoated just. isp's voluntarily agree not to obstruct or slow consumer access to web content by putting that promise in their terms of service, you know, the thing that no human being has ever read and that can change whenever companies want them to. that idea would basically make net neutrality as binding as proposal on "the bachelor." amy: john o oliver enended his w by calling on his viewers to write to the fcc, just as he did after a similar segment in 2014. once agagain, the enormous response broke the commission's website. which goes to the issue of activism, which is why we go back to evevan greer. specifically tomorrow, what are you going to be doing tomorrow? whereorrow is a day everyone can come together. so i many of your favorite netflix,from amazon, you will see prominent messages that will direct people to a place where they can easily take

they met with ajit pai in washington. pai has a track record of opposing the existing rules.he internet association ceo, michael just -- michael beckerman, joins us from washington. david kirkpatrick, our guest host for the hour. michael, you have met with ajit pai. perhaps he wants to get rid of those. he wants to move it to the ftc instead. your view is that net neutrality should not be changed. was he open ear-eared or not? a very cordial meeting. i have a lot of respect for the chairman. we do strongly disagree on this issue. we think the fcc got the rules right in 2015. we are advocating they keep it the same. if it's not broke, don't fix it. as it results -- relates to moving to the federal trade commission, i would point to the comments from commissioner sweeney that they are not the expert agency. we have agencies in our government. all the engineers are at the fcc. that's the expert agency. we should keep it there. caroline: you're looking at a terrell, made by talking about the performance -- importance of keeping it with the fcc. pai does make out that clearly, he

caroline: fcc chair ajit pai spoke to kevin cirilli about the plan. mr. he 5g fast plan to -- is the plan to facilitate america's superiority. a core part is to make more spectrum available for the commercial marketplace. later this year we will be , holding the biggest auction of spectrum in american history. 3400 megahertz of spectrum that will put a stamp on american leadership on 5g across the world. kevin: 3400 megahertz, what does that actually mean, especially when you look at global competitors like korea and china? mr. pai: we are very much ahead of the curve. we will be allocating more spectrum for commercial 5g than all the mobile broadband providers america has today combined. it's a huge influx of supply. we are confident carriers will use spectrum to deploy 5g. we want that to happen here because spectrum availability is a big part of the equation. kevin: which companies will be driving these auctions? mr. pai: i expect it will be some of the traditional players, but we are seeing a lot of interest from cable companies, silicon valley compani

my pal former fcc chair ajit pai.to grow the economy because 13th centuryr windmill will nobot be arlem? enough. you're probably not easily persuaded to switch mobile providers for your business. but what if we told you it's possible that comcast business mobile can save you up to 75% a year on your wireless bill versus the big three carriers? you can get two unlimited lines for just $30 each a month. all on the most reliable 5g mobile network—nationwide. wireless that works for you. for a limited time, ask how to save up to $830 off an eligible 5g phone when you switch to comcast business mobile. don't wait! call, click or visit an xfinity store today. i suffer with psoriatic arthritis and psoriasis. i was on a journey for a really long time to find some relief. cosentyx works for me. cosentyx helps real people get real relief from the symptoms of psoriatic arthritis or psoriasis. serious allergic reactions, severe skin reactions that look like eczema, and an increased risk of infections, some fatal, have occurred. t

michael, you have met with ajit pai.eresting moves perhaps he of oversightt rid fcc, andp's by the perhaps wants to move it to the ftc instead. your view is that net neutrality should not be changed. was he open ear-eared or not? >> it was a very cordial meeting. i have a lot of respect for the chairman. we do strongly disagree on this issue. we think the fcc got the rules one, right in 2015. we are advocating they keep it the same. if it's not broke, don't fix it. as a relates from moving the rules from the fcc to the federal trade commission, i would point to the comments from commissioner mcsweeney that they are not the expert agency. we have agencies in our government. all the engineers are at the fcc. that's the expert agency. we should keep it there. caroline: you're looking at a snake meant -- statement made by terrell mcsweeney about the importance of keeping it with the fcc. pai does make out that clearly, he has always tried to say that he wants net neutrality principles to remain, but a voluntary pledge instea

joining us, the chairman of the federal communications commission, ajit pai., ajit, good to have you with us. it's been some time since we knew that both of these companies were turning over information that they gathered in the course of their normal businesses to the people's liberation army, to chinese intelligence. why this decision now? >> well, thanks for having me on, lou. unlike in commune nist china d communist china, we have the rule of law. the fcc proposed to ban the use of fcc funding being used by telecom carriers here in the united states on problematic equipment or services coming from carriers like huawei and zte. we initially proposed to designate them as national security threats, but we wanted everyone to make their case. we heard from the executive branch, we heard from congress, other stakeholders, and we heard from huawei and zte. the overwhelming weight of the evidence suggested that huawei and zte would be national security threats. that's why we moved forward with a firm designation to plant a flag to say that going forward, starting

we'll talk to commissioner ajit pai about the new rules.em. >>> hedge fund underperformed broader markets in recent years but hugely popular with big investors. why? jim stewart will be here to weigh? consumer advocate ralph nader thinks walmart's move to raise wages is not enough. he'll join us later on. >>> rick santelli. news on consumer sentiment after the chicago pmi number. good morning once again, rick. >> good morning, carl. i was wrong by the way, we're not under 2%. hat in hand with the feeling in the treasuries last couple of weeks. it really seems as though the buyers have limited impact. here we go. february final read on michigan 95.4. comparison to its mid month read at 93.6. how does 95.4 fit? comps to january where you had 98.1 which was the highest going all the way back to 2004. just a quick tombstone on chicago, that was the weakest number since july of 2009. since that number there have only been three under 50. this is not very good. now let's go to one of the most economically vibrant spots in the country, washington,

so we're going to move forward, and we'll see what happens. >> host: ajit pai last time he was on this program suggested that the vote be delayed. >> guest: the chairman obviously, disagrees. again, it's been over a year. the internet has nothing protecting it to insure that it's open to insure that users are protected from gatekeeping functions, to insure that edge providers are protected from gatekeepers. we need to move forward and we need to lock this down and be done with this debate that we've been having for 15 years. >> host: gigi sohn, if you put on your public knowledge hat one more time -- >> guest: oh, god. [laughter] >> host: knowing what you know about this proposal how would you feel about it as the president and founder of public knowledge? >> guest: well, i think it's a victory for the american people, okay? i no longer work for public knowledge, so i'm not going to put that hat on. i have a wonderful successor, a guy named gene but i think he is celebrating. i think the public interest groups are celebrating and i think the four million people who have weighed in -- a

pot, the chairman, and -- ajit pai,arr --metro pcsoner, has a robust prepaid business that is owned byis number one, a structural remedy that someone from the doj would like. he talked about his preference for structural remedies over behavioral remedies. there are also pricing commitments. three years of the best deal and it won't cost you more for 5g as it rolls out. that will allay concerns not only of the department of justice but also the states. public service commission has already approved this. they are looking at this as well. ajit has done a masterful job i think of finding a number of conditions agreeable to the parties as well as the states and department of justice. i think we have the perfect -- argue that even without these conditions, that the merger would be good for competition? >> absolutely. 5g will have up to 100 times more capacity and speed. we are at the dawn of that era. we need to frontload our capex in the global race to 5g. this merger cleans up a week balance sheet by combining assets like cell towers and things of that nature, then $40wing it to borrow ab

willman ajit pai said he recommend approval. i want to bring in the reporter who broke the story, david. and peter in california. who has the authority, the sec or -- the fcc or doj? avid: approval of both agencies is needed as well as state attorneys general. it is very common to have the justice department and fcc approve a deal. they both have different standards when considering approval. the doj is focused on competition. will emerge early to higher prices for consumers. the fcc has a much higher standard, the public interest standard. on thely, they come out same side of a deal. they work very closely together. here, it looks like doj is leaning against the deal. the fcc chairman today announced that he intends to recommend approval. emily: obviously, this has been a long time coming. there have been many twists and turns. both companies have suggested concessions they can make. it sounds like the doj doesn't think there has been enough. what is your perspective on whether this is good or bad? time: i spent a lot of with t

we spoke to fcc chairman ajit pai from washington, d.c.jit: this will be a political debate that will engage millions of people, but we are going to stay focused on the facts and the laws. the facts are americans by and large believe in an open internet, but they want to have an infrastructure investment. they want the next generation networks to be built out. and so i think what the fcc does , not need is heavy-handed regulation that saddle businesses with lots of rules that simply disincentive rises incentivize -- disincentivizes them from building those networks. that will be the course we're charting henceforth. caroline: have you had commitments that if these rules are changed, they will invest? i'm looking at the profits of at&t, $14 billion. $8 billion if you are comcast, shares have risen since the original ruling of net neutrality. they don't seem to have really been hurt. ajit: if you look at the actual numbers with respect to investments, they are down 5.6% for the top 12 broadband providers in this country. and that does not ev

ajit pai is one of those. you cannot like the robo call during dinner? issioner pai: i certainly do not. but the agency opened the door to class-action lawsuits across the country and that's not going to benefit consumers. emily: the fcc also voted to expand subsidized broadband access to low income households. you also voted against this. isn't the internet vital to everyone? commissioner pai: there's a couple different reasons why. first and foremost the fcc refused to adopt fiscal responsibility reforms that have made the lifeline program as it is known rife with waste, fraud, and abuse. in terms of extending it to broadband, the fcc should be targeting these scarce funds on people who do not have internet access. instead the agency has opened the door to subsidizing people who already have rock band, who had incomes much higher than the poverty threshold. it's not diverting these funds where they are needed. for this reason i took a different view from the majority. emily: i want to bring in craig moffett from new york. another major headline -- a 100

isep high -- ajit pai the chairman of the fcc.video clip] >> we are not living in some digital dystopia. perhaps, the internet is one thing we can agree in american society has been a stunning success. but this solution has not worked. the main complaint consumers have about the internet is not and has never been that their internet service provider is blocking access to content, it is that they do not have access at all or not enough competition. these regulations have ironically taken us in the opposite direction from these consumer preferences. under title ii, investment in high-speed networks has declined by billions of dollars. notably, this is the first time that such investment has declined outside of a recession in the internet era. when there is less investment, that means fewer of next generation's networks are built. that means less access and less competitions, less jobs for americans building those networks, and more americans are stranded on the wrong side of the digital divide. with that background, what do you say?

ajit pai. >> thanks for having me on. trish: you heard what randall stephenson is ready to litigate. do you think he will -- >> i can say i think that the professionals at the department are going to do the right thing according to the law and the facts. we'll see where that takes us. trish: look at, say a company like nbc and comcast, right? so you get the distributor and the content provider, and they have merged. wouldn't this be sort of similar type of thing? >> there are questions like this that often pop up in context of mergers acquisitions, there is good news with the leadership at the antitrust division division and staff level that will review this very carefully. i think they will reach the right result. trish: what do you think of people saying, oh, i have friends at cnn, they actually believe this. that this is just the president's vendetta against us at cnn what do you think of that commentary? >> i know there is a lot of discussion. i try to stick within my lane and review any transaction before the fcc at

americans are being well served by a leader like chairman ajit pai who stawppedz the strong connection between technology and innovation -- who understands the strong connection between technology and innovation. mr. pai understands how high-speed internet can revolutionize small businesses

we do know that delharin and ajit pai who supports the deal met privately friday to discuss the mergert screaming at each other at the lunch place they were at. so maybe there's some meeting of the minds here. but this is heating up. decision is coming down the pike. can't tell you exactly when, but it's all over the place. could be this week, could be tomorrow, could be next week, we don't know, but it's coming down. by the way, that's you and mr. ledger. liz: yes, in the times square. if you're just tuning in, some of you specifically tune in just to see sharly gasparino, you're probably wondering about the shot -- take charlie, please. >> could we just see -- liz: just a minute. there's a lot of police and firefighter activity. if we can dissolve to our sixth avenue shot, this is, of course, in the wake of a helicopter crash onto the top of the axa building where the pilot of a helicopter -- and we don't know who owns that chopper -- died after hard landing on the roof and a subsequent fire from the fuel leak out of the -- >> apparently, he was the only one in the chopper. liz: righ

i sat down with fcc chair ajit pai to see how he thinks the biden administration will handle it.na-u.s. relationship is complex, goes well beyond the fcc boundaries. we see a recognition the chinese communist party has a determined view about the way it wants to order the world. it is not content to simply focus internally. we see them exporting their own values abroad. as i mentioned on twitter frequently, if they are willing to take action to cause censorship on things like basketball and flag emojis or games, what will it mean in equipment from chinese manufacturers subject to chinese law, in our communications network? we see people on capitol hill speaking with a bipartisan voice as recently as this week, when they passed legislation saying, we need to think about a solution to navigate around problems we are seeing in huawei. emily: do you think samsung, huawei, zte, and others will change under the next administration? ajit: the fcc has spoken with a unified, bipartisan voice. whether it is a 5g network built in new york city or the navajo nation, everybody wants it to be