FCC Commissioner Mignon Clyburn Defends Study at Media Institute

At the Media Institute, Federal Communications Commissioner Mignon Clyburn defended the Critical Information Needs study, pointing out a few things that fail to get mentioned in recent coverage and opinion:

• On May 24, 2013, the FCC put out for public comment the research design and the intent of a study which sought to gather data and other information about whether there are any market entry barriers, preventing local communities from receiving important information.
• The FCC followed what is custom for the FCC, in making all major policy considerations transparent and public, in order to receive a wide range of input from affected parties and the general public.
• Studying such barriers, and determining whether there are appropriate policies to remove such barriers, is what Congress directed the FCC to do in Section 257 of the Communications Act.

Understanding the markets the FCC regulates is necessary, critical and urgent, and in a world where technological change happens at breakneck speed, the FCC has three fundamental choices:

1. The FCC can regulate in the dark, without research and critical data;
2. The FCC can do nothing, not act and risk not protecting the public or appropriately balancing the needs of industry, or
3. The FCC can seek a better understanding of the industries it regulates and the environment in which they operate.