During a House Appropriations Committee hearing before the congressional recess, Rep. Steny Hoyer (D-MD) questioned FCC Chair Brendan Carr about reliable internet access.
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00:00Thank you very much. Thank you, Mr. Carr, for being with us.
00:05We had a good conversation in my office.
00:10This probably won't be as cordial as we were, but I'm very concerned.
00:16When Donald Trump spoke before the Congress in March, he said this,
00:20I've stopped all government censorship and brought back free speech in America.
00:25It's back, he said.
00:27Now, he'd also said during the campaign to his supporters,
00:32I am your retribution.
00:34You may remember that quote.
00:40That rang in my ears and gave me great concern.
00:47The FCC's actions the past few months make it clear just how relevant those comments were.
00:56What was once an independent and partial agency, not always, devoted to keeping Americans connected, has become, in my view, to some degree, the speech police, another cudgel in the President's culture war.
01:15Since Trump took office, the FCC has gone after private corporations over their DEI practices.
01:22Very frankly, my view is that may be a practice that he can impose on the federal government, but is not a practice that he can impose, nor should he impose, on the private sector, whatever the views we may hold.
01:37The agency, in my opinion, has also targeted NPR, PBS, NBC, ABC, and CBS, and other networks, apparently, who are perceived unfavorably to the President and to his policies.
01:56The First Amendment.
01:57The First Amendment, of course, is not intended to protect the President from the press.
02:01It is intended to protect the President, excuse me, the press against the government.
02:07Nor was the FCC established to act in the President's interest, but rather in the public's interest.
02:14Now, more than ever, the American people are counting on the FCC to focus on its mission under law.
02:21Something we discussed in my office, however, was when he removed FTC commissioners, he did it because, quoting or trying to quote,
02:34that the actions of those commissioners were incompatible with the priorities of the administration.
02:42Communications technologies that fall under the FCC's purview are fundamental to everything in modern life.
02:49They shape our commerce, our education, our national security, our healthcare, and our elections.
02:54In an increasingly digital world, the FCC needs to ensure that we don't leave that behind.
03:01That means expanding – oh, this is inconvenient – that means expanding affordable, reliable access to the Internet
03:08and other crucial technology in both rural and urban areas.
03:12I represent urban and rural areas.
03:15We made a lot of progress toward closing the digital vibe when the Affordable Connectivity Program, funded by the bipartisan infrastructure law,
03:23legislation I was proud to put on the floor as Majority Leader.
03:26I heard directly from my constituents, Republicans and Democrats, and Republican officials.
03:33I live in a county with five Republican county commissioners.
03:36They all urged me to continue that because of the very positive impact it had on my district and in that rural county in which I live.
03:45Regrettably, my colleagues across the aisle allowed that program to expire last year, raising interest costs for the 23 million households that enrolled.
03:54I still haven't seen any plan on how we filled that void.
03:59Worse, I've heard rumors that the FCC's spectrum policy involves auctioning off or reducing bans, including the Citizens Broadband Radio Service,
04:09which could make it even harder for Americans to get connected.
04:13The FCC has a responsibility not only to help Americans access these opportunities, but also to protect them from potential perils.
04:22Every day, Americans experience robocalls and Internet scam attempts that become more and more sophisticated.
04:30Their personal data falls prey to hackers and scammers.
04:34Americans need strong and savvy cops on the beat, committed to cybersecurity and privacy.
04:42In my view, that is the role of the FCC.
04:45Chairman Carr, I thank you for coming in today, as I said, but I want to be clear that I'm worried that the FCC
04:54and so many other elements of government that ought to be independent are, in the President's words, not referring to anything that I've referred to, but weaponizing government.
05:05The FCC's attacks on the press and the First Amendment are troubling.
05:11So I look forward to hearing your testimony.
05:14I will honor the Chairman's gavel, but it requires a lot of time to make sure the FCC is doing what the American people expect it to do.
05:26Thank you, Mr. Chairman.
05:28Thank you, Mr. Hoyer.
05:29Today, we welcome the testimony of the Honorable Brendan Carr, Chairman of the Federal Communications Commission.
05:34Chairman Carr with . . . .