S. HRG. 115–138 OVERSIGHT OF THE FEDERAL COMMUNICATIONS COMMISSION HEARING BEFORE THE COMMITTEE ON COMMERCE, SCIENCE, AND TRANSPORTATION UNITED STATES SENATE ONE HUNDRED FIFTEENTH CONGRESS FIRST SESSION MARCH 8, 2017 Printed for the use of the Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation ( U.S. GOVERNMENT PUBLISHING OFFICE 28–380 PDF WASHINGTON : 2018 For sale by the Superintendent of Documents, U.S. Government Publishing Office Internet: bookstore.gpo.gov Phone: toll free (866) 512–1800; DC area (202) 512–1800 Fax: (202) 512–2104 Mail: Stop IDCC, Washington, DC 20402–0001 VerDate Nov 24 2008 08:11 Feb 20, 2018 Jkt 075679 PO 00000 Frm 00001 Fmt 5011 Sfmt 5011 S:\GPO\DOCS\28380.TXT JACKIE SENATE COMMITTEE ON COMMERCE, SCIENCE, AND TRANSPORTATION ONE HUNDRED FIFTEENTH CONGRESS FIRST SESSION JOHN THUNE, South Dakota, Chairman ROGER F. WICKER, Mississippi BILL NELSON, Florida, Ranking ROY BLUNT, Missouri MARIA CANTWELL, Washington TED CRUZ, Texas AMY KLOBUCHAR, Minnesota DEB FISCHER, Nebraska RICHARD BLUMENTHAL, Connecticut JERRY MORAN, Kansas BRIAN SCHATZ, Hawaii DAN SULLIVAN, Alaska EDWARD MARKEY, Massachusetts DEAN HELLER, Nevada CORY BOOKER, New Jersey JAMES INHOFE, Oklahoma TOM UDALL, New Mexico MIKE LEE, Utah GARY PETERS, Michigan RON JOHNSON, Wisconsin TAMMY BALDWIN, Wisconsin SHELLEY MOORE CAPITO, West Virginia TAMMY DUCKWORTH, Illinois CORY GARDNER, Colorado MAGGIE HASSAN, New Hampshire TODD YOUNG, Indiana CATHERINE CORTEZ MASTO, Nevada NICK ROSSI, Staff Director ADRIAN ARNAKIS, Deputy Staff Director JASON VAN BEEK, General Counsel KIM LIPSKY, Democratic Staff Director CHRIS DAY, Democratic Deputy Staff Director RENAE BLACK, Senior Counsel (II) VerDate Nov 24 2008 08:11 Feb 20, 2018 Jkt 075679 PO 00000 Frm 00002 Fmt 5904 Sfmt 5904 S:\GPO\DOCS\28380.TXT JACKIE C O N T E N T S Page Hearing held on March 8, 2017 .............................................................................. 1 Statement of Senator Thune ................................................................................... 1 Letter dated March 7, 2017 ............................................................................. 74 Statement of Senator Nelson .................................................................................. 3 Statement of Senator Schatz .................................................................................. 20 Statement of Senator Wicker .................................................................................. 22 Statement of Senator Booker .................................................................................. 23 Statement of Senator Fischer ................................................................................. 25 Statement of Senator Udall .................................................................................... 27 Statement of Senator Moran .................................................................................. 29 Statement of Senator Peters ................................................................................... 31 Statement of Senator Young ................................................................................... 33 Statement of Senator Cortez Masto ....................................................................... 35 Statement of Senator Capito .................................................................................. 37 Statement of Senator Klobuchar ............................................................................ 40 Statement of Senator Markey ................................................................................. 41 Letter dated March 7, 2017 to Hon. Ajit Pai, Hon. John Thune and Hon. Bill Nelson ............................................................................................ 43 Statement of Senator Lee ....................................................................................... 46 Statement of Senator Blumenthal .......................................................................... 48 Article dated February 10, 2017 from The New York Times, entitled ‘‘An Anti-Consumer Agenda at the F.C.C.’’ ................................................ 48 Article dated February 11 from The Washington Post entitled, ‘‘The FCC talks the talk on the digital divide—and then walks in the other direction’’ by the Editorial Board ................................................................. 49 Letter dated March 7, 2017 to Senator John Thune and Senator Bill Nelson from Jonathan Schwantes, Senior Policy Counsel and Laura MacCleery, Vice President of Consumer Policy & Mobilization, Con- sumers Union ................................................................................................ 50 Statement of Senator Heller ................................................................................... 56 Statement of Senator Cantwell .............................................................................. 58 Statement of Senator Hassan ................................................................................. 60 Article dated March 6, 2017 from The Hill by Michael Copps, Opinion Contributor, entitled, ‘‘Its urgent that Ajit Pai Vices His Support for a Free Press’’ ................................................................................................. 61 Statement of Senator Gardner ............................................................................... 62 Statement of Senator Cruz ..................................................................................... 64 Statement of Senator Sullivan ............................................................................... 66 Statement of Senator Johnson ................................................................................ 68 Article dated March 3, 2017 entitled, ‘‘Taking Stock of FCC Paperwork Burdens’’ by Michael O’Rielly, Commissioner, Federal Communications Commission ................................................................................................... 70 WITNESSES Hon. Ajit Pai, Chairman, Federal Communications Commission ....................... 4 Prepared statement .......................................................................................... 6 Hon. Mignon L. Clyburn, Commissioner, Federal Communications Commis- sion ........................................................................................................................ 9 Prepared statement .......................................................................................... 11 Hon. Michael O’Rielly, Commissioner, Federal Communications Commission .. 15 Prepared statement .......................................................................................... 16 (III) VerDate Nov 24 2008 08:11 Feb 20, 2018 Jkt 075679 PO 00000 Frm 00003 Fmt 5904 Sfmt 5904 S:\GPO\DOCS\28380.TXT JACKIE IV Page APPENDIX Response to written questions submitted to Hon. Ajit Pai by: Hon. John Thune .............................................................................................. 77 Hon. Roy Blunt ................................................................................................. 77 Hon. Dean Heller .............................................................................................. 78 Hon. Bill Nelson ............................................................................................... 78 Hon. Maria Cantwell ........................................................................................ 83 Hon. Amy Klobuchar ........................................................................................ 100 Hon. Richard Blumenthal ................................................................................ 103 Hon. Brian Schatz ............................................................................................ 104 Hon. Edward Markey ....................................................................................... 106 Hon. Cory Booker ............................................................................................. 106 Hon. Tom Udall ................................................................................................ 109 Hon. Gary Peters .............................................................................................. 118 Hon. Tammy Duckworth .................................................................................. 120 Hon. Catherine Cortez Masto .......................................................................... 153 Response to written questions submitted to Hon. Mignon L. Clyburn by: Hon. Maria Cantwell ........................................................................................ 154 Hon. Edward Markey ....................................................................................... 155 Hon. Cory Booker ............................................................................................. 157 Hon. Tammy Duckworth .................................................................................. 158 Hon. Catherine Cortez Masto .......................................................................... 158 Response to written questions submitted to Hon. Michael O’Rielly by: Hon. Maria Cantwell ........................................................................................ 159 Hon. Cory Booker ............................................................................................. 160 Hon. Tom Udall ................................................................................................ 161 VerDate Nov 24 2008 08:11 Feb 20,