Commissioner Gomez' First Major Speech Describing Priorities at CHCI Celebrating Latina Excellence Series

One thing my experience has taught me is that companies hate regulation…that is until they want it.  Yes, it is funny, but it is also true and not surprising.  I am a firm believer in the power of competition to drive innovation that improves services and lowers prices for consumers.  I believe that a vibrant, strong, and competitive telecommunications and media marketplace that promotes U.S. prosperity can also meet the needs of all consumers.  But competition only works when the market works.  And when the market fails, there are public policy goals to be considered and prioritized that require government action.  This convergence of public and private action is necessary to ensure innovations benefit consumers and is why the majority of what we do can be viewed as public-private partnerships.... Over the past two months, I have thought a lot and talked about the impact of FCC action on consumers. The key principles I think about here are intentionality, trust, and empowering consumers through engagement. 

• Intentionality is important.  By that I mean delineating clearly the problem we are trying to solve, approaching it with an open mind to all solutions and acting with purpose. 
• Consumer trust is so important.  Building trust between government and businesses and historically underserved communities is challenging.  As we take actions with the goal of benefitting consumers, we need to be aware that actions that undermine trust can prevent us from reaching our goals.  
• I don’t expect consumers to keep up with the decisions of the FCC and why we are relevant to their lives.  Most consumers are too busy unless there is something wrong.  And they are trusting us to do our job.