Ajit Pai Net Net Neutrality Records
| Tracking # |
FCC-2018-000210 |
| Submitted | Nov. 23, 2017 |
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Communications
From: Taylor Scott Amarel
To Whom It May Concern:
This is a request under the Freedom of Information Act. I hereby request the following records:
I would like to obtain all email records sent from Ajit Pai (Ajit.Pai@fcc.gov or other email addresses used by Ajit Pai) containing the non-case-sensitive key-string of "comcast", from January 1, 2016 to Present Day.
The requested documents will be made available to the general public, and this request is not being made for commercial purposes.
In the event that there are fees, I would be grateful if you would inform me of the total charges in advance of fulfilling my request. I would prefer the request filled electronically, by e-mail attachment if available or CD-ROM if not.
Thank you in advance for your anticipated cooperation in this matter. I look forward to receiving your response to this request within 20 business days, as the statute requires.
Sincerely,
Taylor Scott Amarel
From: Federal Communications Commission
This message is to confirm your request submission to the FOIAonline application: View Request. Request information is as follows: (https://foiaonline.regulations.gov:443/foia/action/public/view/request?objectId=090004d281753478)
* Tracking Number: FCC-2018-000210
* Requester Name: Taylor S. Amarel
* Date Submitted: 12/11/2017
* Request Status: Submitted
* Description: To Whom It May Concern: This is a request under the Freedom of Information Act. I hereby request the following records: I would like to obtain all email records sent from Ajit Pai (Ajit.Pai@fcc.gov or other email addresses used by Ajit Pai) containing the non-case-sensitive key-string of comcast, from January 1, 2016 to Present Day. The requested documents will be made available to the general public, and this request is not being macic for commercial purposes. In the event that there are fees, I would be grateful if you would inform me of the total charges in advance of fulfilling my request. I would prefer the request filled electronically, by c-mail attachment if available or CD-ROM if not. Thank you in advance for your anticipated cooperation in this matter. I look forward to receiving your response to this request within 20 business days, as the statute requires.
From: Taylor Scott Amarel
Thank you for the response!
From: Federal Communications Commission
Mr. Amarel,
Attached is a decision addressing your Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) requests filed in FOIA Control Numbers 2018-000210, -213, -214, and -215.
Joanne F. Wall
Office of General Counsel
Federal Communications Commission
From: Taylor Scott Amarel
To whom this may concern,
I appeal this determination on the grounds that you are not following the FOIA rules and regulations. Specifically, it is conceded that The FOIA requires that "any reasonably segregable portion of a record" must be released after appropriate application of the Act's exemptions.
As the records I requested are likely not 100% confidential (even by the FCC's own description of the records), I request you take action to redact only portions of the information, rather than withhold documents in full.
For example, it is claimed that "[The FCC] also withhold in full an email and an attachment thereto to the Chairman from a publication consisting entirely of copyrighted material pursuant to FOIA Exemption 4. Exemption 4 protects from disclosure "trade secrets and commercial or financial information obtained from a person and privileged or confidential."
However, it is unlikely, and against the standards of FOIA that the entire email should be withheld. Instead, as many other agencies do, they will release the email but redact the text. In any case, there is no reasonable explanation why you would withhold the date of the email. Therefore, at the very least, please release to me this email, in PDF format, showing the date that it was sent and everything else blanked out. I hope you can understand, emails and other records contain a lot of information besides the exempted material, this may include the greeting, the signature, the from address, the to address, etc. Put more bluntly, I do not believe there is any situation where an entire email can be "copyrighted" especially because products produced by the government, such as Ajit Pai's reply for action of forwarding these documents can not, statutorily, be protected by any copyright.
Therefore, I respectfully request that you re-conduct the search and release documents in redacted format.
From: Taylor Scott Amarel
To whom this may concern,
My previous email was sent in error. My fault.
Apologies for any inconvenience caused.
Best,
Taylor
From: Federal Communications Commission
Mr. Amarel,
Attached please find a letter and attachment addressing your appeal of our decision addressing your Freedom of Information Act request in FOIA Control No. 2018-000210.
Joanne
Joanne F. Wall
Attorney-Advisor
Office of General Counsel
FCC
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