In a very light-hearted April Open Meeting convened this morning at its Washington, D.C. headquarters, FCC Chairman Ajit Pai poked fun at Democratic Commissioner Mignon Clyburn‘s broken finger, in a cast, while Pai broke out into song by bouncily singing the chorus to the 1987-1988 Rick Astley classic “Never Gonna’ Give You Up.” Republican FCC Commissioner Michael O’Rielly joked that the antics were “just like Thanksgiving at my house.”
The fun was seen at the start of a meeting that involved the Commission’s relaxation of third-party fundraising restrictions for noncommercial radio and TV stations, and a party-line 2-1 ruling that made optional a previously mandatory requirement that compelled the officers and board members of noncommercial educational stations to report personal information.
Non-commercial broadcasters said that, if left unchanged, this requirement would deter volunteers from serving in these important leadership positions.