FCC Oversight Hearing Testy at Times
The first FCC oversight hearing since 2020 was anything but ho hum. Members of the Senate Commerce, Science and Transportation Committee sought answers yesterday from FCC Chairman Brendan Carr, and Commissioners Olivia Trusty and Anna Gomez about the agency’s plans on several topics, including spectrum auctions, and broadband deployment.
Committee Chairman Ted Cruz (R-TX) noted the emergence of 5G and early ground work on 6G in the past year, as well as “major advancements in the satellite industry, particularly the growth of low-earth orbit high-speed internet, AI, and seismic shifts across the media landscape.” Cruz said, “The world of today, with mobile computers in every pocket and artificial intelligence becoming exponentially more capable, is markedly different from the time when cell phones were the size of footballs when Gordon Gekko walked on the beach holding a brick to the side of his head, and from the time AOL was on the leading edge of internet connectivity.”
Ranking Member Maria Cantwell (D-WA) wanted to know what the Commission is doing to bring down the cost of communications services for consumers. “Carr is making it easier for big corporations to tack on more fees to your internet bills,” she said.
Minority members showed a chart they called a “snapshot” ranking wireless costs by country. The U.S. came at number two, just under Canada, as most expensive.
Carr praised Congress for restoring the FCC’s auction authority, saying the lapse led the U.S. to fall behind China in terms of how much spectrum is being used. He said his Build America agenda focuses on unleashing broadband builds by “modernizing permitting builds and cutting red tape.” Concerning spectrum, Carr said now the FCC has a “massive new spectrum pipeline” and the staff is working to prepare for several auctions” such as C-band.
Carr said it’s important to ensure “that our nation’s tower and telecom crews are rewarded for their work. Over the last year, many communications providers have committed to a range of workforce reforms that will result in a more sustainable environment for America’s tower and telecom crews.”
Carr explained, “Providers are now adopting faster payment cycles and fairer pricing metrics. They are minimizing layers of subcontracting, which will allow for greater oversight of crews and stronger safety protections.”
Marsha Blackburn (R-TN) asked Trusty to discuss how the FCC is preparing for the 2027 World Radiocommunication Conference (WRC) in China. Trusty called the renewal of the FCC’s auction authority “foundational.” It means we “can focus on key U.S. interests and preempt efforts by those seeking to [thwart] us,” like China, she said. Trusty explained that at the last WRC, the U.S. didn’t have auction authority and was “sidelined in these important conversations.”
Concerning the Salt Typhoon security breach involving several U.S. telecoms by hackers associated with the Chinese government, Deb Fischer (R-NE) asked Trusty what the biggest threat is at the upcoming WRC. “Security,” Trusty replied, noting the FCC is working “to ensure providers patch equipment” and share intelligence. I think that will mean more public-private partnerships,” she said.
Several Democrats hammered Carr over broadcast investigations concerning on-air content. Amy Klobuchar (D-MN) said Carr’s going after every major national broadcaster except Fox. Carr started explaining broadcasters are “different” because their licenses are tied to adhering to a public interest standard before he was cut off.
Brian Schatz (D-HI) told Carr that what the Chairman’s been saying concerning broadcasters “will not age well.” Tammy Baldwin (D-WI) said to Carr, “You’ve become a parrot for the president and diminished the FCC.”
Cruz said these concerns “were miraculously absent when the Biden administration was pressuring Big Tech to silence Americans for ‘wrongthink’ on COVID and election security.” He said it underscores “a simple truth: that the public interest standard and its wretched offspring like the ‘news distortion rule’ have outlived whatever utility they once had and it is long past time for Congress to pass reforms.”
By Leslie Stimson, Inside Towers Washington Bureau Chief
