THE CHAIR RECOGNIZES HIMSELF FOR AN OPENING STATEMENT. GOOD MORNING, AND WELCOME TO TODAY'S OVERSIGHT HEARING, THE FIRST OF THIS CONGRESS OF THE FEDERAL COMMUNICATIONS COMMISSION. UM, WELCOME BACK, CHAIRMAN BRENDAN CARR.
UH, CONGRATULATIONS ON YOUR APPOINTMENT AS CHAIRMAN. UH, AND WELCOME TO COMMISSIONER ANA GOMES. LOOK FORWARD TO YOUR TESTIMONY TODAY.
AND I WANT TO EXTEND A SPECIAL WELCOME, OR SHOULD I SAY WELCOME BACK, OR MAYBE WELCOME HOME TO COMMISSIONER OLIVIA TRUSTY. UH, CONGRATULATIONS ON YOUR CONFIRMATION. AND, UH, WELCOME TO YOUR FIRST OVERSIGHT HEARING IN YOUR OLD STOMPING GROUNDS HERE AT THE ENERGY AND COMMERCE.
IT'S ALWAYS GREAT FOR US TO SEE A FORMER STAFFER ON THE COMMITTEE, UH, RISE TO SUCH HEIGHTS, TO BE A COMMISSIONER ON THE FCC. WE'RE REALLY PROUD OF YOU AND APPRECIATE YOU BEING HERE WITH US TODAY. I KNOW, UH, MR.
LATTA IS VERY PROUD OF YOU AS WELL. UM, THE FCC HAD AN ACTIVE 2025 THAT CAN BE SUMMED UP IN ONE WORD, DEREGULATION. UNDER CHAIRMAN CARR, THE FCC HAS TAKEN SIGNIFICANT STEPS TO REDUCE BARRIERS TO BROADBAND DEPLOYMENT, MODERNIZE OUTDATED REGULATORY REGIMES, AND DELETE OBSOLETE RULES.
THESE EFFORTS INCLUDE PREEMPTING STATE AND LOCAL BARRIERS TO WIRELESS INFRASTRUCTURE DEPLOYMENT, WHICH I APPRECIATE, AS SOME OF YOU ALL HAVE HEARD ME TALK ABOUT. UH, I'M TOO FAMILIAR WITH CALLS DROPPING TOO OFTEN WHEN I'M DRIVING AROUND MY OWN DISTRICT. UM, REFORMING THE SATELLITE LICENSING PROCESS AND ENSURING THAT NEXT GENERATION 911 NETWORKS ARE RELIABLE AND INTEROPERABLE.
ANOTHER ISSUE THAT I'VE MADE A TOP PRIORITY OF MINE OVER THE YEARS. AND, CHAIRMAN, I WANT TO SAY THANK YOU, UH, THAT THE FIRST OFFICIAL TRIP YOU TOOK AS CHAIRMAN WAS TO WESTERN NORTH CAROLINA, UH, TO LOOK AT HURRICANE HELENE, IMPACTS ON OUR COMMUNICATIONS NETWORK. SO I APPRECIATE THE THE PRIORITY YOU'VE PUT ON THIS ISSUE.
UM, TOGETHER, THESE EFFORTS WILL ACCELERATE CLOSING THE DIGITAL DIVIDE, UNLEASH THE NEW SPACE ECONOMY, AND STRENGTHEN AMERICA'S WIRELESS LEADERSHIP. I APPLAUD THE FCC FOR THIS GREAT WORK. FCC STILL HAS SIGNIFICANT WORK AHEAD, INCLUDING MODERNIZING OUTDATED MEDIA OWNERSHIP RULES.
UH, LAST YEAR, I LED A BIPARTISAN LETTER WITH MORE THAN 70 MEMBERS OF CONGRESS URGING THE COMMISSION TO REVISIT ITS BROADCAST OWNERSHIP CAPS. LOCAL BROADCASTERS REMAIN THE MOST TRUSTED SOURCES OF NEWS FOR MOST AMERICANS, YET THEY NOW COMPETE WITH AN UNEVEN MARKETPLACE SHAPED BY WELL RESOURCED NEW ENTRANTS, MOST NOTABLY BIG TECH. BURDENED BY OUTDATED REGULATIONS, LOCAL BROADCASTERS ARE INCREASINGLY UNABLE TO COMPETE, A REALITY REFLECTED IN NEWSROOM CLOSURES AND THE GROWING CONCENTRATION OF INFLUENCE AMONG NATIONAL NETWORKS AND SOCIAL MEDIA PLATFORMS.
CURRENT OWNERSHIP CAPS PREVENT BROADCASTERS FROM COMBINING OR EXPANDING OPERATIONS, CONSTRAINING THEIR ABILITY TO INVEST IN LOCAL JOURNALISM. UPDATING THESE CAPS WOULD HELP ENSURE BROADCASTERS REMAIN VIABLE AND COMPETITIVE WITHOUT CREATING MONOPOLIES. IT WOULD EMPOWER LOCAL STATIONS TO BETTER COMPETE AGAINST DOMINANT PLATFORMS.
I URGE THE COMMISSION TO KEEP THESE REALITIES IN MIND AS YOU CONTINUE YOUR DEREGULATORY AGENDA. A HUGE ACCOMPLISHMENT THIS YEAR WAS THE WORKING FAMILIES TAX CUT ACT, UH, DIRECTION TO THE FCC TO AUCTION 800MHZ OF SPECTRUM FOR COMMERCIAL USE. MAKING THE SPECTRUM AVAILABLE IS ESSENTIAL TO AMERICA'S LEADERSHIP IN 5G AND SIX G.
I'M PLEASED THAT THE AGENCY HAS ALREADY BEGUN THIS WORK BY IDENTIFYING AT LEAST 100MHZ FOR AUCTION IN THE UPPER C-BAND, AS THE AGENCY LOOKS FOR REMAINING SPECTRUM BOTH ON ITS OWN AND IN COORDINATION WITH OTHERS. I KNOW YOU HAVE IMPORTANT DECISIONS TO MAKE, AND I URGE THE FCC TO BE MINDFUL OF INVESTMENT THAT HAS ALREADY TAKEN PLACE IN EXISTING COMMERCIAL BANDS, SUCH AS THE SIX GIGAHERTZ BAND AND THE CBRS BAND. THE PROPOSAL, UH, YOUR AGENDA LAID OUT THIS MONTH TO EXPAND UNLICENSED OPERATIONS IN THE SIX G BAND, IS A GREAT, GREAT FIRST STEP.
UH, FINALLY, I'M A MEMBER OF THE BIPARTISAN, BICAMERAL UNIVERSAL SERVICES FUND WORKING GROUP, THE USSF, OVERSEEN BY THE FCC, HELPS SUPPORT BROADBAND ACCESS TO HIGH COST RURAL AREAS TO SCHOOLS AND LIBRARIES, RURAL HEALTH CENTERS, AND LOW INCOME HOUSEHOLDS. LAST YEAR, THE SUPREME COURT UPHELD THE CONSTITUTIONALITY OF USF, BUT IT IS PAST TIME TO REFORM THIS PROGRAM TO ENSURE THE LONG TERM SUSTAINABILITY AND ENSURE THE FUNDS ARE REACHING THE RIGHT PEOPLE, CONGRESS NEEDS TO REEXAMINE WHAT THE USF SUPPORTS AND HOW IT'S FUNDED. A SUSTAINABLE USF IS ESSENTIAL TO ENSURING ALL AMERICANS HAVE ACCESS TO AFFORDABLE, RELIABLE BROADBAND.
GIVEN THE FCC'S ROLE IN ADMINISTERING THE FUND, I LOOK FORWARD TO DISCUSSING WAYS TO ENSURE THE USF REMAINS VIABLE FOR FUTURE GENERATIONS. TODAY'S HEARING IS AN OPPORTUNITY TO DISCUSS THE MANY IMPORTANT ISSUES BEFORE THE FCC.
