FCC Commissioner Clyburn at the Free State Foundation Sixth Annual Telecom Policy Conference

No one really disputes that the Communications Act no longer accurately reflects current realities. But the statute’s core values remain as relevant today as they were decades ago: 1) competition, 2) consumer protection, 3) universal service, and 4) public safety.

The Technology Transitions Order the FCC adopted in January is a prime example of an agency looking for solutions to provide robust broadband in unserved or underserved areas. I hope you join in my excitement about these experiments because these trials could unleash opportunities for solutions from rural areas for rural areas. To date, nearly 1000 proposals from mostly local, community-based entities have been filed at the FCC showing a significant demand for robust broadband. They include innovative ideas and proposals from electric coops leveraging their existing network to provide fiber-to-the-home; to community- based initiatives wishing to construct broadband sometimes in partnership with other entities; to cable providers, research and development networks, wireless Internet service providers, wireless providers -- and we even got proposals involving TV whitespaces.

While I understand the instinct for many is to push for a deregulatory framework, there are potential dangers and consequences, in a regulatory free zone.


FCC Commissioner Clyburn at the Free State Foundation Sixth Annual Telecom Policy Conference