Speech

[Speech] As public attention has been drawn to the practice of collecting data, there is a heightened concern about the value of privacy and the value of consumer data. This concern is no longer limited to privacy advocates and policymakers who have sounded the alarm for years, only for their concerns to fall on deaf ears.

[Speech] It’s no secret that I’m a native of small-town Kansas. I know how great it is to grow up in rural America. And I want future generations to be able to have that same experience—to see small towns as a place where they can start a family and build a career. This isn’t just nostalgia. It’s about our economy and national competitiveness. In a connected global economy, we can’t leave millions of Americans sitting on the sidelines. Some say we can’t afford to bring high-speed connectivity to places like rural Kansas. I say we can’t afford not to.

If there’s anything that coming to a gathering like Net Inclusion really brings home, it is that addressing inequity is the responsibility of everyone in the community. None of us can solve a problem like digital inclusion working on our own. It takes collaboration; a web of dedicated advocates from all over the country working on all aspects of the issue. So, I am thrilled that the third annual Charles Benton Digital Equity Champion Award honors one of our field’s great collaborators, Deb Socia. Deb is the Founding Executive Director of Next Century Cities.

[Speech] We’re working to ensure that the Internet is open, secure and providing the maximum benefits to the American people. But this administration also understands that we must connect all Americans to truly unlock the promise of the Internet. There are still too many people across the country that lack access to reliable, affordable broadband Internet service – a problem that’s particularly acute in rural America.

[Speech] You either believe broadcasters should be allowed to innovate, or you don’t. And we do. So last November, the Federal Communications Commission adopted rules authorizing the Next Gen TV transmission standard. By allowing use of this standard on a voluntary, market-driven basis, we’ve opened the door to a substantially improved, free, over-the-air television broadcast service and fiercer competition in the video marketplace.

[Speech] As the media marketplace evolved, the Federal Communications Commission failed to keep pace. Rather than removing regulations that became outdated, the FCC demonstrated a tendency to tack on yet another regulation or filing requirement. These outdated rules have taken up too many dollars and too much manpower—resources that could be going to newsgathering or upgrading facilities so broadcasters can better serve their local communities.

The Federal Communications Commission has historically been over-obsessed and too reliant on the belief that the number of broadcast voices in a market is directly tied or correlated to the issue of license ownership, which is a false assumption. I firmly believe that our ownership rules have not worked. It’s why I was so pleased to support the Chairman’s order [in 2017] to eliminate some of these rules.

[Speech] We now regularly see the highest level of our government denouncing real news as false facts. We watch how this sentiment is used to stir up anger, and we see how those in power bestow favors on outlets with narratives that flatter rather than offer the hard-hitting assessments we need. What is happening now is what journalism Professor Jay Rosen has called “not just attacking the press but the conditions that make it possible for news reports to serve as any kind of check on power.” That’s not a state of affairs we should accept. 

[Speech] I thought I would begin my remarks by highlighting one issue area I believe is long overdue for an update: Kid Vid.

[Speech] The main reason I am here and why I was pleased to accept the committee’s invitation to say a few words is to reinforce the importance of the Commission’s proceeding to create a small entity broadcaster incubator program.  Let me be abundantly clear: the lead proponent of this idea is the Chairman and I’ve been happy to support his work on the topic. We should all remember that the intent of an incubator program is to address the lackluster ownership of broadcaster station licenses by smaller entities, which includes women and minority groups.