Wednesday, June 17, 2009

FCC, Wireless Leaders Face Scrutiny

From CongressDaily's AM Edition:

Nominee For FCC Chairman Urged To 'Fix' The Agency

Julius Genachowski, President Obama's pick for FCC chairman, played it safe during his confirmation hearing Tuesday as senators delivered marching orders on fostering more transparency at the agency, bolstering broadcast indecency enforcement and extending broadband to homes lacking access. Senate Commerce Chairman John (Jay) Rockefeller stole the show with a stern request for Genachowski to repair the damaged reputation of the commission, known for its bitter negotiating environment, by operating more openly and not kowtowing to powerful corporate interests. "Fix this agency, or we will fix it for you. Prove to us that the FCC is not battered beyond repair," Rockefeller warned.
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Kohl Pushes For More Competition In Cell Phone Industry

Senate Judiciary Antitrust Subcommittee Chairman Herb Kohl, D-Wis., urged the FCC Tuesday to "take all necessary action" to remove barriers to competition in the cell phone marketplace and prevent giants like AT&T and Verizon from gaining a stranglehold on the industry. He also pressed the Justice Department to closely scrutinize mergers and allegations of anti-competitive practices in the wireless sector. Nowhere is the changed market for cell phones more noticeable than in the text messaging space, Kohl argued at a hearing. From 2006 to 2008, the price of sending and receiving messages among the four largest carriers increased from 10 to 20 cents per message within weeks or months of each other. The price increases occurred despite the fact that the cost to cell phone providers for texting -- less than a penny per message -- has not increased.
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