ABSTRACT
Federal Communications Commission (FCC) Chairman Ajit Pai's use of sarcasm is almost as prolific as his use of digital media. Since becoming FCC Chairman in January 2017, Pai's tenure was digitally archived through YouTube videos, social media postings, fights with celebrities and even popular magazine interviews. The FCC has a wavering history of audience engagement and the incorporation of public feedback into policymaking. Victor Pickard notes, as far back as the late 1940s, the FCC struggled with the balance of outsider politics and public engagement, questioning regulating technology that connected the masses with politics and its place in the interpretation of policy for everyday audiences. William J. White argues that although FCC decisions and rulings carry heavy political implications, the office is not supposed to partake in partisan politics and is instead supposed to focus on improving the role of telecommunication in public interest. There are limits to the "public interest standard" and the FCC's ability to regulate communication media.
