Pai joined Searchlight ~3 months after leaving as FCC Chair. Searchlight's portfolio at the time included telecommunications holdings (e.g. Ziply Fiber, Mitel) that fell within his FCC oversight purview.
FCC Ex Parte rules + 18 U.S.C. �207 representational restrictions
Pai joined Searchlight Capital Partners as partner approximately 90 days after departing the FCC chairmanship. Searchlight's portfolio at time of hire included Ziply Fiber (broadband), Mitel (telecom hardware), and Hemisphere Media � all squarely within Pai's prior regulatory purview. While the strict statutory bar applies only to back-channel agency representation, the proximity and portfolio overlap created the canonical case for tightening FCC senior-staff post-employment restrictions cited in subsequent Congressional reform proposals.
evidence source ↗No other documented transitions on file for this entity.
Open the Ajit Pai dossier for connections, donations, and other ledger rows on the same entity. Open the Searchlight Capital Partners dossier for everyone else who's revolved through that destination.
https://www.goblinhouse.net/revolving-door/3Goblin House. "Ajit Pai: prior employer → Searchlight Capital Partners" (revolving-door transition). Goblin House — The Architecture of Secrecy. Accessed October 18, 2026. https://www.goblinhouse.net/revolving-door/3.Sourced from public records and content-hashed; verify via /attestation, standard at /methodology.