Statement of Commissioner Mignon Clyburn: FCC Majority's Assault on Pro-Consumer Policies Continues

Nov 16, the Federal Communications Commission majority will continue down its destructive path of adopting a series of actions that fail to put consumers first. They will make it more difficult for low-income Americans to access affordable communications services; they will adopt a so-called ‘voluntary’ television standard that has even more outstanding and unanswered questions than the February Notice of Proposed Rulemaking; they will shred consumer and competition protections in times of technology transitions; and they will open the door to massive media consolidation at the expense of localism, competition, and viewpoint diversity.

During the first 10 months of 2017, the FCC majority has given the green light to more than a dozen actions that are a direct attack on consumers and small businesses, and most Americans are unaware that the agency established to protect the public interest has traded in that role for the chance to grant the wish lists of billion dollar companies.

What consumers want is fast, affordable broadband access. What consumers want is access to a free and open internet without fear of being throttled or assessed a toll by their broadband service provider. What consumers desire is programming options that reflect the diversity of their community. Sadly, what they have is an FCC majority that feels otherwise which is why I remain committed to fighting for policies that give voice to those who far too often go unheard.