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LIZ: ONE OF THE VERY FIRST
TARGETS RUSSIA TOOK OUT ON
UKRAINE WAS A TV AND
COMMUNICATION TOWER KNOCK OUT
WIRELESS INTERNET AND TELEVISION
SIGNALS.
THAT IS WHEN ELON MUSK STEPPED
IN.
THE SPACEX CEO SENT DOZENS OF
PORTABLE ANTENNAS TO YOU TO
CRANE WITH THE GOOD INTENTION OF
HELPING THEM CONNECT TO THE
INTERNET VIA HIS STARLINK
SATELLITES.
BUT MUSK IS NOW WARNING
UKRAINE -- UKRAINIANS USING THE
TECHNOLOGY TO CONNECT TO THE
OUTSIDE WORLD RIGHT NOW MAY
BECOME TARGETS OF RUSSIAN
AIRSTRIKES.
MUSK IS TWEETING AND WITH
EVERYONE AIDING UKRAINE AT RISK
OF BECOMING A RUSSIAN TARGET,
COULD AN ATTACK AS OUR AT --
SATELLITES, AS HE PUTS THIS
WARNING UP, AKA, HOW WE COMMUNE
IF CANDIDATE WITH THE WORLD ON
THE HORIZON?
JOINING ME NOW FORMER FCC
CHAIRMAN AND AMERICAN ENTERPRISE
INSTITUTE NON-RESIDENT FELLOW
AJIT PAI.
WHERE COWE BEGIN?
IF ELON IS RIGHT AND THE
RUSSIANS TRY TO KNOCK DOWN THE
ANTENNA ON THE GROUND, BUT MAYBE
THE SATELLITES IN THE SKY, WHAT
DOES THAT MEAN AND WHAT DOES IT
EQUAL?
>> WELL, I THINK IT’S AN
UNFORTUNATE AND EVEN TERRIFYING
PROPOSITION TO THE EXTENT THAT
THEY’RE EVEN CONTEMPLATING SUCH
A MOVE.
AND CERTAINLY, I THINK ONE OF
THE KEY PRIORITIES THE RUSSIAN
GOVERNMENT HAS ESTABLISHED IS
THEY WANT TO CONTROL INFORMATION
BY ANY MEANS POSSIBLE, KNOCKING
OUT THE BROADCAST POWER,
POTENTIALLY INTERFERING WITH
INTERNET ACCESS ON THE GROUND AS
WELL AS POTENTIALLY INTERFERING
WITH SOME OF THE SATELLITES UP
IN SPACE.
THEY WANT TO CONTROL THE
INFORMATION ENVIRONMENT WHICH IS
DIFFICULT IN THE INTERNET AGE.
BUT NONETHELESS, THEY’VE CLEARLY
SHOWN THEY’RE WILLING TO DO A
LOT IN ORDER TO ACHIEVE THAT, SO
I THINK EVERYBODY HAS TO BE ON
THEIR GUARD.
LIZ: DID WE EVER GET CLOSE TO
HAVING RUSSIA KNOCK OUT OUR
COMMUNICATION SATELLITES, AND
WOULD THAT BE A DECLARATION OF
WAR?
>> CERTAINLY NOT DURING MY TIME
IN OFFICE AT THE FCC, WE DIDN’T
SEE THAT.
CERTAINLY, IN A MILITARY
ENVIRONMENT, OF COURSE, THERE
ARE DIFFERENT CONSIDERATIONS
THAT MIGHT APPLY, AND I WOULD
HAVE TO DEFER TO SOME OF THE
EXPERTS ON WHETHER OR NOT THAT
WOULD CONSTITUTE AN ACT OF WAR.
I KNOW YOU HAD A NATO PERSON ON
RECENTLY WHO SAID THAT COULD
TRIGGER ARTICLE V OBLIGATIONS
FOR MEMBER STATES, BUT ONE OF
THE THINGS WE’VE FOUND IS THE
COMMUNICATIONS SECTOR NOW IS OF
GREAT RELEVANCE TO THOSE
INVOLVED IN MILITARY OPERATIONS.
I THINK IT’S OPENED UP AN
ENTIRELY NEW DIMENSION.
UNFORTUNATELY, FOR POLICYMAKERS
AND OTHERS, IN THE
COMMUNICATIONS PHASE.
LIZ: COMMUNICATION IS GETTING
BLACKED OUT IN RUSSIA.
JUST 1:00ING THIS AFTERNOON
EASTERN TIME THEY BANNED
FACEBOOK, THEY JUST IN THE LAST
COUPLE OF MINUTES BANNED
TWITTER.
AND YOU START TO SEE HOW THE
RUSSIANS ARE GETTING PRETTY
INFURIATED.
THERE HAVE BEEN MASS PROTESTS,
AND EVEN NOW WHAT IS LEFT ON
TELEVISION THERE, RUSSIAN
TELEVISION IS GETTING TROLL BY
PEOPLE.
WE FOUND THIS CLIP FROM RUSSIAN
BUSINESS TELEVISION, THEIR
BUSINESS NETWORK, WHERE A
PRANKSTER SOMEHOW CLAIMING HE
WAS AN ECONOMIST GOT ON THE AIR
TO TALK ABOUT THE DISASTER THAT
HAS BECOME THE HAS COW STOCK
EXCHANGE.
LISTEN -- MOSCOW, AND IT IS
SUBTITLED. [SPEAKING RUSSIAN]
LIZ: OKAY.
SO WHAT HE SAID WAS I’M GOING TO
BECOME SAP THAT CLAUS BECAUSE I
HAVE TO GIVE AWAY, YOU KNOW, MY
JOB AS AN ECONOMIST, ETC.
AND THEN HE PICKED UP A BOTTLE
AND PRETENDED TO DRINK ALCOHOL
SAYING, YOU KNOW WHAT?
I’M DRINKING TO THE DEATH OF THE
STOCK EXCHANGE HERE IN RUSSIA
WHICH, OF COURSE, HAS BEEN
FROZEN FOR THE ENTIRE WEEK.
AJIT, WHAT DO YOU SEE AS THE
BIGGEST HARM OF THIS TIT FOR TAT
WHERE COUNTRIES ARE KNOCKING
RUSSIAN TELEVISION OFF THE AIR,
RUSSIA’S KNOCKING OUR TELEVISION
AND THE BBC OFF THE A AIR?
>> WELL, I THINK THERE’S TWO
DIFFERENT FACTORS.
NUMBER ONE IS THE ABILITY OF
PEOPLE IN RUSSIA TO GET ACCESS
TO CREDIBLE INFORMATION WHEN THE
RUSSIAN GOVERNMENT IS
ESSENTIALLY TRYING TO EXERCISE A
MONOPOLY ON WHAT INFORMATION
GETS TO THEM.
THAT’S A DANGEROUS SITUATION.
AND THAT CLIP, WHILE FUNNY, DOES
UNDERSCORE THE FACT THAT THERE
IS A THIRST FROM RUSSIAN
CITIZENS FOR REAL, MEANINGFUL
PUBLIC DISCOURSE, ONE THAT’S
BEING STIFLED BY THE RUSSIAN
GOVERNMENT.
THE SECOND IS FROM AN ECONOMIC
PERSPECTIVE, OBVIOUSLY,
INFORMATION FLOWS ARE CRITICAL
ACROSS BORDERS AND NOW WITH THE
SANCTIONS REALLY TAKING EFFECT,
IT’S GOING TO BE THE INTERESTING
TO SEE WHAT HAPPENS TO THE
RUSSIAN ECONOMY IF THEY’RE NOT
ABLE TO, FOR EXAMPLE, GET
LIQUIDITY FROM TRADING STOCKS OR
OTHER TYPES OF INSTRUMENTS,
TATA’S GOING TO BE VERY
DIFFICULT FOR THEM TO FIGURE OUT
HOW TO MAKE THEIR ECONOMY
FUNCTION.
I THINK IT’S A VERY DANGEROUS
TIME AHEAD, AND I CERTAINLY HOPE
THAT, OF COURSE, THE RUSSIAN
GOVERNMENT REFRAINS FROM ANY
FURTHER SO-CALLED SPECIAL
MILITARY OPERATIONS IN THE IN
THE UKRAINE.
IT’S TO THE DETRIMENT OF
EVERYONE IN THE REGION INCLUDING
THEIR OWN COUNTRY.
LIZ: YEAH.
THEY DO NOT SEE IT THAT WAY,
NEEDLESS TO SAY.
AS IF WE DIDN’T HAVE ENOUGH
PROBLEMS, A HUGE PIECE OF A
SPACE ROCKET, APPARENTLY WE’RE
TOLD -- WE CAN’T SEE IT JUST YET
BECAUSE IT’S ON THE FAR SIDE OF
THE MOON -- CRASHED INTO THE
MOON TODAY.
AND ACCORDING TO EXPERCENT ITS,
THERE’S SOMETHING LIKE --
EXPERTS, THERE’S SOMETHING LIKE
128 MILLION PIECES OF SPACE JUNK
OR THAT ARE CIRCLING AROUND IN
THE ATMOSPHERE.
YOU WERE ALWAYS CONCERNED ABOUT
THIS.
HOW SERIOUS A PROBLEM DO YOU
FORESEE THIS BECOMING?
>> IT’S A VERY SERIOUS PROBLEM.
WHEN I CAME INTO OFFICE IN 2017,
WE SAW THAT ALL OF THESE LOW
EARTH ORBIT SATELLITE
CONSTELLATIONS WERE BEING
LAUNCHED AND THAT THE FCC DIDN’T
HAVE UPDATED REGULATIONS
STARTING IN 2004.
SO WE PUT ON THE TABLE SOME
REFORMS.
THERE WERE A LOT MORE LEFT TO BE
DONE, HOWEVER, BECAUSE I THINK
THERE ARE A LOT OF DIFFERENT
SATELLITES BEING LAUNCHED, A LOT
OF DIFFERENT CONSTELLATIONS.
AND EVEN A SICKLE CENTIMETER OF
DEBRIS COULD DAMAGE ANOTHER
SATELLITE OR CAUSE AN UNSAFE
SPACE ENVIRONMENT.
THE DEBRIS YOU’RE TALKING ABOUT
WAS A 3-TON DISCARDED ROCKET
THAT THAT’S THOUGHT TO BE
CHINESE IN ORIGIN THAT HIT THE
MOON AT 5,000 MILES AN HOUR.
THAT’S A PRETTY SERIOUS PIECE OF
DEBRIS, AND SO EVERYBODY, UNITED
STATES AND OTHER COUNTRIES,
REALLY NEED TO MAKE SURE THAT
DEBRIS REGULATIONS INDUCE A SAFE
SPACE ENVIRONMENT OTHERWISE NONE
OF THESE SATELLITE INNOVATIONS
ARE GOING TO BE ABLE TO TAKE
PLACE.
LIZ: CAN I GET A QUICK COMMENT
ABOUT DEVELOPMENTS INSIDE THE
BELTWAY?
THE CANDIDATE FOR YOUR
REPLACEMENT, YOU KNOW, FCC CHAIR
GIGI SOHN, THE CANDIDATE, WAS
APPROVED BY A SENATE COMMITTEE
DOWN PARTY LINES, 14-14.
YOUR THOUGHTS?
>> IT’LL BE UP TO THE FULL NAT
TO MAKE A DETERMINATION ON THAT
NOMINATION JUST AS THEY DID
MINE, AND EVERY OTHER
COMMISSIONER WHO HAS THE CHANCE
TO SERVE, SO I CAN’T COMMENT ON
THAT PARTICULAR NOMINATION
EXCEPT TO SAY AS IN ALL SIMILAR
CASES, THE SENATE HAS TO
EXERCISE JUDGMENT.
LIZ: AJIT, THANK YOU FOR JOINING