FCC Commissioner Brendan Carr

In responde to a National Security Council memo urging the Trump administration to consider extraordinary efforts to clear the way for 5G, FCC commissioner responded:

I met with small and rural broadband providers that told me that the Commission’s paperwork and reporting obligations alone now consume 23 weeks of work per year or five months of full-time labor. I heard from a small wireless provider that they have to take one of the few people they employ off of a customer service job or marketing effort and sit them in a room to complete FCC paperwork. These small businesses are not corporate behemoths. They do not have, and simply cannot afford, an army of regulatory lawyers.

Commissioner Brendan Carr of the Federal Communications Commission announced that Will Adams has joined his office as Legal Advisor for wireless issues and that Andi Roane has joined his office as Staff Assistant. He also congratulated Nirali Patel on her move to the Chairman’s Office. 

FCC Commissioner Brendan Carr announced that Evan Swarztrauber has joined his office as Policy Advisor for media issues. Evan joins Commissioner Carr’s office from TechFreedom, where he was Director of Public Affairs. In that role, Evan worked on a wide range of issues, including media ownership, video competition, and the broadcast incentive auction. He also managed the organization’s communications and outreach teams, and represented the organization in a diverse array of coalitions.

[Commentary] December’s Federal Communications Commission vote will simply return the Internet to the same regulatory framework that governed in 2015 and for the 20 years that preceded it. The Internet flourished under this approach, while consumers and innovators alike benefited from a free and open Internet. The FCC’s plan ensures that robust open Internet protections are in place. Here are just four of them:

Reversing the 2015 [Title II] decision—this massive regulatory overreach—has my full support.

Ensuring that we have the skilled workforce in place to deploy, maintain, and upgrade our nation’s communications infrastructure is one of the keys to ensuring that all Americans have access to advanced broadband networks. Importantly, the shift to 5G will require an enormous investment in both wired and wireless infrastructure. In fact, this transition could result in $275 billion in network investment, three million new jobs, and half a trillion dollars added to the GDP.  

The Federal Communications Commission is focused on streamlining the deployment of infrastructure needed to deliver next-generation wireless services. Last week, for instance, the Commission adopted an Order that eliminates the need for historic preservation review when providers replace utility poles for the purpose of adding antennas or other wireless equipment. Today, I can announce the Commission’s next step in our broader effort to promote and accelerate the deployment of wireless infrastructure.

Today, the Chairman circulated a draft order that would restore Internet freedom by reversing the Obama-era Federal Communications Commission’s regulatory overreach. Prior to the FCC’s 2015 decision, consumers and innovators alike benefited from a free and open Internet because the FCC abided by a 20-year, bipartisan consensus that the government should not control or heavily regulate Internet access. The Internet flourished under this framework. So I fully support returning to this approach, which will promote innovation and investment for the benefit of all Americans.