Robust Competition in the Wireless Industry is the Key to a Successful Marketplace

Federal Communications Commission member Mignon Clyburn spoke at the National Conference for Media Reform.

She said, "In meeting after meeting, I hear about the fast-approaching reality of mobile DTV and faster speeds for mobile broadband. I read articles about the explosive sales of tablets and iPhones, and my staff tells me about the growing prevalence of both on their morning bus and subway commutes into southwest D.C. I mention all of this to hammer home the fact that wireless availability with its ease of use is no longer a fun novelty that’s there if and when you choose to use it. Consumers have integrated it as an essential part of their daily routines, work activities, and family discourse at an exponential and ever-increasing rate. And I'm certain the overwhelming majority would readily admit that they cannot live without their mobile device.... Did you ever think that we would develop and opt for a more convenient way of casually communicating other than talking? This is the new reality, and this country has embraced it wholeheartedly."

She went on focusing on lower-income communities: "in considering all of the factors relating to America’s minority and low-income citizens, and realizing how hard people work to claw past their monthly bills only to immediately start fretting about next month, we must be vigilant -- super-vigilant -- about the direction the wireless industry is heading. So many people depend -- and I need to stress that word -- depend on their wireless phones in their everyday lives."