Chairman Martin's House Testimony

MARTIN SEEKS END TO INDUSTRY-PAID TRAVEL
[SOURCE: Broadcasting&Cable 3/1/06, AUTHOR: John Eggerton]
Pointing out that the FCC accepted $260,000 from industry to pay for "important travel" in 2005, the FCC has asked Congress for a $235,000 increase in its travel budget so that it can "eliminate" industry-sponsored travel for all commission employees. Chairman Kevin Martin made that request as part of his testimony to a House Appropriations subcommittee last week. The FCC had already cut back on that travel in 2006 after the same committee had expressed concerns. Martin also asked for $500,000 for an industry-outreach campaign on the DTV transition (that would be in addition to $5 million set aside for a government outreach campaign in the DTV hard date bill recently passed by Congress). He also wants $20 million from the Universal Service Fund. The FCC wants to take up to $20.4 million from that fund to cover monitoring for waste, fraud, and potential abuse.
http://www.broadcastingcable.com/article/CA6312124?display=Breaking+News...
(free access for Benton's Headlines subscribers)
* See Chairman Martin's written testimony:
http://hraunfoss.fcc.gov/edocs_public/attachmatch/DOC-264102A1.pdf

See also --
* Martin Again Pushes Cable Industry On Offering Channels 'A La Carte'
[SOURCE: Technology Daily 3/1, AUTHOR: Drew Clark]
FCC Chairman Kevin Martin said the cable television industry needs to do more to respond to consumer interest in purchasing television programming on a channel-by-channel -- or so-called a la carte -- basis. Appearing before the House Science-State-Justice-Commerce Appropriations Subcommittee, Chairman Martin said he agrees with complaints -- lodged primarily by family organizations and consumer groups -- that the "family tiers" of channels created by cable operators are inadequate.
http://www.njtelecomupdate.com/lenya/telco/live/tb-XSNB1141333006194.htm...