Cárdenas Leads 63 Democrats in Letter Offering Solution to FCC on Set-Top Box
Washington DC – Congressman Tony Cárdenas today sent a letter to Federal Communications Commission (FCC) Chairman Tom Wheeler and FCC Commissioners, urging them to allow the public to view and comment on its revamped set-top box proposal using a Further Notice of Proposal Rulemaking (FNPRM). He is joined by 63 House Democrats.
“The details in the fact sheet are drastically different from the original 66-page proposal that the FCC released for comment in February. All we are asking for is more information,” said Congressman Cárdenas, who has been vocal on telecommunications industry issues since first joining Congress in 2013. “I too want to promote competition; however, if the FCC gets this wrong, I’m afraid it could up-end the entire industry and push out content creators with devastating impacts to our creative economy. The FCC needs to ensure they get the rule right, not rush to get it done.”
Members of Congress have expressed concern over the licensing board and the issuing of standard licenses, calling into question the degree to which the FCC would be involved in copyright issues, which are not part of its jurisdiction. Both of these elements are new to the version that will be voted on during the upcoming September 29 meeting.
Congressman Cárdenas went on to say, “What my colleagues and I are asking of the FCC is something they can do and have done in the past. By releasing the full text of the new proposal through an FNPRM, the agency could then open an additional comment period with a specific start and end date, which is a tool already in their toolbox.”
Last week, Congressman Cárdenas released a statement to the public urging for more transparency after the FCC released the 2.5 page fact sheet, which gave an inconclusive overview of its latest proposal and includes major elements that are new and have not been publicly reviewed.
Click here for the full text of the letter to FCC Chairman Wheeler and Commissioners.
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