Leaders of the Federal Communications Communications Commission outlined goals for increased broadband access, spectrum development and rules deregulation on Wednesday.
In a hearing before the Senate Commerce Committee, FCC chairman Brendan Carr – who was appointed to lead the commission by President Donald Trump in January – said the commission has sought to reduce more than 1,000 rules and regulations that were previously on the books.
“Eliminating those costly regulations is part of our affordability war,” Carr said.
Carr also highlighted the efforts to release a large swath of spectrum by July 2027. He said this release helps the United States take back ground from China in spectrum, and make broadband internet more affordable.
“The data shows if we free up more spectrum we can allow providers, for instance, to compete for in-home broadband,” Carr said. “When they do that with fixed wireless, we’ve seen that cable modem prices dropped.”
Olivia Trusty, a commissioner on the FCC’s board, said the United States can have an expanded role over international conversations because of the greater release of spectrum.
“We can work with our international allies in advance to preempt those who are seeking to undermine U.S. interests,” Trusty said.
Senators across partisan divides both encouraged greater development of broadband for areas in their states with less connectivity.
Sen. Maria Cantwell, D-Wash., said she is concerned about a lack of competition in the spectrum industry that disincentivizes companies to provide broadband services to rural or hard-to-reach areas.
“They basically expand to the areas that they can have customers, but not to the hard-to-serve areas or again figuring out a price point that will allow them to deliver service so we can expand to the [about] 20 million Americans that don’t have broadband,” Cantwell said.
Sen. Jerry Moran, R-Kansas, stressed the importance of greater broadband networks to access local news, weather and sports. He called on Carr and the other FCC commissioners to produce updated information on the broadband map to help individuals who are in underserved areas.
“Continue your efforts to recover from the mapping process, that includes improvements in the ability for those in Kansas and across the country to make changes in the maps based upon actuality and the reality of what we actually provide in service to Kansans,” Moran said.
Carr said much of the issue with broadband coverage comes from a lack of coordination in which agencies handle broadband funding. He noted an April report from the Government Accountability Office that found the accuracy of broadband access maps to be “uncertain.”
Carr said the FCC has coordinated with the National Telecommunications and Information Agency, the National Economic Council and other agencies to address coordination issues.
Several senators sharply criticized Carr over his comments in reference to a controversial monologue from late night host Jimmy Kimmel.
“We can do this the easy way or the hard way,” Carr said. Executives at ABC temporarily paused broadcasting “Jimmy Kimmel Live!” The show has since returned to the air.
Sen. Amy Klobuchar, D-Minn., questioned whether Carr thought it appropriate to use his position to threaten companies that broadcast political satire. She also questioned him on investigations of NPR and PBS.
In January, Carr launched investigations into NPR and PBS for violations of commercial advertisements. Carr defended the investigations at the hearing.
“Any licensee that operates on the public airways has a responsibility to comply with the public interest standard,” Carr said.
