Majority Statement

• Senator John D. (Jay) Rockefeller IV

  Chairman

  U.S. Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation
  Read statement

  Majority Statement

  Senator John D. (Jay) Rockefeller IV

  Prepared Opening Statement – Senator John D. (Jay) Rockefeller IV, Chairman

  “Oversight of the Federal Communications Commission”

  Tuesday, March 12, 2013 2:45 p.m.

   

  Long ago we made the decision that in this country, private companies would build and own our key transportation, communications, and energy networks.  That was and still is a good decision.  Communications technology is reshaping every aspect of our society.  

  I believe that this change is overwhelmingly positive, but as last week’s hearing on cybersecurity reinforced, this change is not without substantial risk to our national and economic security.  Just as harnessing technological innovation is crucial to our economic future, addressing the dangers of a completely interconnected world is just as critical.  Cybersecurity is one of the great national security challenges we face – it is a challenge that the government and the private sector must work collaboratively to solve.  I am confident we will.  

  I believe that two other areas are absolutely critical for government and industry to come together to address pressing needs – 

  • • First, the construction of a nationwide interoperable public safety network that our first responders are owed.  

  • • Second, we must make sure every child in this country is prepared to compete in the global economy and that means having access to the Internet and all innovation that derives from it.  

  As most of you have heard me say, the job of being an FCC Commissioner is one of the hardest, but most important jobs in Washington.  Your actions affect how we communicate, what we see on television, and the deployment of new technologies and innovative services.  

  Making sure that our first responders have the spectrum and communications network they need to keep us safe is one of my proudest achievements.  It is one of this Committee’s defining pieces of legislation.  Congress allocated $7 billion for the construction of this network, which will come from the auction proceeds of spectrum voluntarily offered up by broadcasters.  

  The agency’s incentive auction proceeding is one of the agency’s most important undertakings in its history.  I know that this is a complicated proceeding that affects whole industries, but I believe that the auction must be driven by one simple principle -- it must maximize the resources available for the construction of a nationwide, interoperable broadband network for first responders.

  I urge the Commission to move forward on an aggressive timetable to get this proceeding done.  I have no doubt that when completed, the public safety network will save lives.  This is an area where the government and the private sector must continue to work collaboratively to solve the most important public safety issue we face.  

  Just as we are future proofing our public safety communications network, we must future proof our efforts to make sure every child in America has access to cutting edge technology.  

  As part of the Telecommunications Act of 1996, Olympia Snowe and I created a little program called the E-Rate.  I believe that this program is the crowning achievement of the Act.  Our little provision helped drive the broadband revolution in this country by exposing a generation of kids to the power of the Internet.  

  The E-Rate program has fundamentally transformed education in this country – we have connected our most remote schools and libraries to the world.  The E-Rate has enabled schoolchildren across this country to participate in the information society.  I have seen firsthand the benefits of the E-Rate in my state.  

  The impact of the E-Rate on our schools has been impressive.  More than 92 percent of classrooms have Internet access.  But, as impressive and important as this statistic is, basic internet connectivity is not sufficient to meet our 21^st Century educational needs.  

  As every educator knows, digital information and technology will continue to play an increasing role in education, so we need to think about how we are going to meet the broadband infrastructure needs of our schools and libraries.  We need to think big about the future of E-Rate.  

  Simply put, we need to create E-Rate 2.0.  We need to fund and adapt E-Rate to meet the needs of a data-driven society.  

  By the end of this decade, I believe that every school in America should have 1 Gigabit of connectivity.  And, if every coffee shop in America can offer wireless connectivity, then surely every school in America should be able to offer it as well.  We owe our children this.  

  And, I know E-Rate can be the driver to achieve this goal.  In 1996, everyone dismissed the need for the E-Rate.  Telecommunications companies took the FCC to court over the program.  We won.  

  We have almost two decades of proof that the E-Rate worked.  It enabled an education revolution, it exposed a generation to the power of information and learning, it literally connected the least among us to the world in a way never before possible.  

  Today, I urge the FCC and industry to join me in an effort to make sure that every child in America has a bright future.  That every child has access to the transformative power of technology.

  ### 

Minority Statement

• Senator John R Thune

  Ranking Member

  U.S. Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation
  Read statement

  Minority Statement

  Senator John R Thune

  Mr. Chairman, thank you for holding this important hearing. I join you in welcoming Chairman Genachowski and each of the commissioners—thank you all for being here today.

  We are living in the middle of the digital revolution, which is being powered in large part by the huge investments made by the broadband industry.

  There is enormous potential for job creation and innovation in the broadband, Internet, and technology sectors, and this potential may be most evident in the area of mobile broadband. 

  According to a recent Cisco report, mobile data traffic in the U.S. grew 62 percent last year, and by 2017 there will be a 13-fold increase worldwide. 

  By one estimate, the nation’s mobile broadband industry directly or indirectly supports 3.8 million jobs, contributing more than $195 billion to the U.S. gross domestic product and driving $33 billion in productivity improvements in 2011. 

  Unfortunately, a single point of failure under the government’s control could jeopardize this great potential for job creation and innovation—access to wireless spectrum. 

  Mobility is driving the innovation economy, and spectrum is what fuels wireless mobility. Without enough spectrum, the private sector will not be able to keep pace with consumer demand, which is growing exponentially. 

  That is why we must make it a priority to increase the availability of spectrum for commercial uses as quickly as possible, and to do so in collaboration with industry and government stakeholders. 

  More broadly, I believe we must also focus on establishing a 21^st century legal and regulatory structure that serves the purposes of our 21^st century economy. 

  It is time for this Committee to take a look at modernizing our nation’s rules and regulations to better reflect today’s converged marketplace. 

  Our technology and telecommunications sectors have been profoundly changed by the Internet, yet much of our country’s communications laws were written in a pre-Internet world. 

  These sectors are characterized by extremely dynamic companies, and we must ensure that the FCC is as nimble as they are. 

  It has been 23 years since the FCC was last reauthorized by Congress, and it may be time to develop a new FCC reauthorization bill to ensure the Commission is an efficient and truly modern regulator—one that is a reliable resource for Congress and an effective agency for American citizens and industry alike. 

  While I’m very enthusiastic about the great potential of the digital revolution, I want to make sure that all consumers, including those in our rural communities, are able to enjoy the economic and societal benefits of the Internet. 

  Chairman Rockefeller, you and I share the same goal of getting rural America connected to advanced communications. 

  Some of the best network infrastructure in the world exists today in some of the most unlikely places due in no small part to your leadership and keen interest in making rural America a priority.  

  Lastly, on the issue of sequestration, I have been disappointed by the Administration’s politically motivated scare tactics. 

  I hope that an independent commission like the FCC will not be just another agency following the White House’s lead in trying to find cuts that can trigger a press release before looking to internal cost-saving measures that are less news-worthy.

  Chairman Rockefeller, I look forward to working with you and with the Commission to unleash the great potential of the American people to create jobs and spur innovation for the 21^st century economy. Thank you. 

Testimony

• The Honorable Julius Genachowski

  Chairman

  Federal Communications Commission
  Download Testimony (16.43 KB)

• The Honorable Robert McDowell

  Commissioner

  Federal Communications Commission
  Download Testimony (108.16 KB)

• The Honorable Mignon Clyburn

  Commissioner

  Federal Communications Commission
  Download Testimony (21.67 KB)

• The Honorable Jessica Rosenworcel

  Commissioner

  Federal Communications Commission
  Download Testimony (242.97 KB)

  Download Testimony (164.93 KB)

• The Honorable Ajit Pai

  Commissioner

  Federal Communications Commission
  Download Testimony (40.08 KB)