To probably no one’s surprise, the FCC’s recent set-top box proposal got a lot of jaw-time at yesterday’s oversight hearing before the Senate Commerce Committee, as did investments in broadband and net neutrality. Commissioners Tom Wheeler, Mignon Clyburn, Michael O’Rielly, Ajit Pai and Jessica Rosenworcel testified.
If you are so inclined, you can see a recording of the hearing at CSPAN. Plan to invest two hours and 40 minutes if you want to see the whole thing.
Sen. John Thune, who chairs the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation, pointed out that the FCC’s recent set-top proposal came after partisan-line voting. He also wondered aloud if it would produce better results than what he sees as the large disruption that is already happening in the space.
On the net neutrality front, Commissioner Pai testified that he thinks both major wireline broadband providers and small providers have slowed their investment and innovation.
“With all due respect to my colleague, what he has just portrayed as facts are not,” FCC Chair Tom Wheeler says. He referenced reports the companies have made to Wall street saying that “fiber is up 13 percent over last year, usage of the Internet is up and that has driven what you want to be up, which is increased revenue per subscriber for the Internet companies in the last year since the Open Internet Order took place.”
Pai contended that the FCC and the majority of the commission said a month ago that broadband is not being reasonably and timely deployed according to Section 706. He went on to ask, “Is broadband infrastructure broken or is it not?”
Filed Under: Industry regulations
