Judiciary and E&C Committee Leaders Urge FCC to Release Text of Set-Top Box Proposal

Conyers, Goodlatte,  Upton, & Walden Push For FCC Transparency

Washington, D.C. – House Judiciary Committee Chairman Bob Goodlatte (R-VA), Judiciary Committee Ranking Member John Conyers (D-MI), Energy and Commerce Committee Chairman Fred Upton (R-MI), and Communications and Technology Subcommittee Chairman Greg Walden (R-OR), today sent a letter to FCC Chairman Tom Wheeler regarding the agency’s set-top box proposal.

 

Dean of the U.S. House
of Representatives
John Conyers, Jr.

The committee leaders write, “While much remains unknown, what is clear at this point is that the proposal would benefit from public process. … Absent a public vetting of the Commission’s proposal it is unclear what the Commission is planning, let alone its impact. Without further delay, we request that you release the text of your proposal. The proposal raises issues of significance to both our Committees, and we believe the Commission should release text in order to allow all stakeholders to meaningfully discuss the implications of the proposal.”

“We remain concerned that the FCC’s op-ed in the LA Times, as well as the fact sheet raise new questions rather than resolve questions posed in the Notice of Proposed Rulemaking,” added Upton and Walden. "Unfortunately, this behavior is not new and this aversion to transparency has come to define the FCC.”

House Judiciary Letter To FCC on Set Top Box Letter 9.16.16 by Beverly Tran on Scribd

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CONYERS, GOODLATTE Raise Copyright Concerns with FCC’s Set-Top Box Proposal

Washington, D.C. – House Judiciary Committee Ranking Member John Conyers (D-Mich.) and Chairman Bob Goodlatte (R-Va.) released the following statement regarding copyright concerns with the Federal Communications Commission’s (FCC) set-top box proposal.

Dean of the U.S. House
of Representatives
John Conyers, Jr.

“Regardless of whether one supports or opposes the FCC’s efforts to create set-top box alternatives, we have very serious concerns that this should not be accomplished through a compulsory copyright licensing process that may well exceed the FCC’s jurisdiction. The proposed text of the FCC’s revised set-top box proposal has not been given to Congress, but published reports indicate that the FCC is considering a licensing body to develop a one-size fits all standard apps license.  There are many unresolved questions about this proposal, not the least of which is the fundamental question of whether the FCC even has the authority to create such a regime.  We are also concerned that this proposal encroaches upon the Judiciary Committee’s copyright jurisdiction, and may not adequately protect creators’ rights and the contractual rights of parties.  We will be conducting oversight over this matter in the weeks and months to come.”

Chairman Goodlatte and Ranking Member Conyers also joined Energy and Commerce Committee Chairman Fred Upton (R-Mich.) and Communications and Technology Subcommittee Chairman Greg Walden (R-Ore.) in sending a letter to FCC Chairman Tom Wheeler requesting that he release the text of the set-top box proposal in order to allow all stakeholders time to examine and discuss the implications of his proposal.

Goodlatte and Conyers Raise Copyright Concerns with FCC’s Set-Top Box Proposal Letter by Beverly Tran on Scribd

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Conyers concerned about delays in LightSquared approval

U.S. Representative
John Conyers, Jr.

Rep. John Conyers (D-Mich.) urged Federal Communications Commission (FCC) Chairman Julius Genachowski to move forward with his agency's review of controversial wireless start-up LightSquared.

"I write to express concern about delays in the approval process involving LightSquared's proposed 4G-LTE wireless broadband network," Conyers wrote in a letter sent last Wednesday and obtained by The Hill on Monday. "I strongly urge the Commission to move with urgency to fully test potential solutions to the LightSquared-GPS interference issue employing transparent, fact-based methodologies, common-sense standards and independent testing facilities."

LightSquared has invested billions of dollars to launch a nationwide wireless broadband service, but the company ran into problems last year when tests showed its planned network could interfere with GPS devices.As recently last week,government officials have testified that the network could disrupt critical GPS devices, including flight safety systems.

LightSquared argues the problem is that GPS receivers are poorly designed and are receiving signals from outside their designated frequency bands. The GPS industry says its receivers are too sensitive to filter out the powerful signals from LightSquared's cell towers on nearby frequencies. 

The FCC granted LightSquared a conditional waiver to move forward last year, but officials now say the company will have to fix the interference problem before receiving final approval to launch its network.

In his letter, Conyers argued that LightSquared would expand wireless broadband access and increase competition in the wireless industry. 

"The U.S. wireless sector is in need of increased competition," Conyers wrote, noting that there are only four national carriers, with AT&T and Verizon controlling about 60 percent of the market. 

"Millions of Americans, especially in rural areas, lack even a single adequate wireless broadband option, with little hope on the horizon unless new providers enter the market," he wrote.

LightSquared plans to sell access to its network wholesale to other companies, providing an alternative to the four national wireless carriers. 

The company has until mid-March to secure regulatory approval or it risks losing a multibillion-dollar contract with Sprint. 

Some Republicans have questioned whether the FCC and the White House have shown inappropriate favoritism to LightSquared. Sen. Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa) has vowed to block President Obama's two FCC nominees unless the agency releases internal records on its review of the company.

The White House and the FCC have denied giving any special treatment to LightSquared, but expanding broadband access has been a top priority of both agencies. 

In a separate letter sent last December, GOP Reps. Cliff Stearns (Fla.) Brian Bilbray (Calif.), Devin Nunes (Calif.) and John Campbell (Calif.) said they believed a solution to the interference problem is possible, and urged Genachowski to "quickly move forward on a solution."

Stearns' support for LightSquared is noteworthy: as the chairman of the Energy and Commerce Committee's Oversight subcommittee, Stearns has led the congressional probe of the White House funding failed solar firm Solyndra. 

U.S. Representative John Conyers, Jr. Letter to FCC Re Light Squared February 8, 2012

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