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For Immediate Release
06/17/09
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Jena Longo - Democratic Deputy Communications Director 202.224.7824
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Chairman Rockefeller's Remarks on the Consumer Wireless Experience
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Washington, D.C. - Throughout the last decade, consumers have grown to rely on the mobility, convenience, and safety that wireless service can provide.
Ten years ago, less than 100 million consumers had wireless phones. Today, the wireless industry counts more than 270 million American subscribers.
However, in light of this success, we have a serious responsibility to ask what the consequences are for an industry that has grown up so fast in such a short period of time.
Have our regulatory models kept up?
If consumers choose to make their wireless phone their only phone, do they get the service quality they need for such an essential service?
I, for one, have some concerns.
I have concerns that too many consumers are bound to confusing contracts with their wireless carriers.
I have concerns that too many consumers are confounded by the charges on their wireless bills.
I have concerns that the Federal Communications Commission gets so many consumer complaints about wireless service—but then does so little with them.
And I am extremely concerned for my great state of West Virginia that we have second-class wireless service in too many rural communities throughout America.
We have too many places in this country where wireless call quality is low and service is unreliable—places where wireless broadband is only a pipe dream.
This is absolutely unacceptable to me.
Let me illustrate.
What you see is a map of the Eastern United States. The colored areas reflect places where wireless broadband service—the best wireless service we have—is available.
Note the great gap in coverage that is West Virginia. In far too many areas, the state has no wireless broadband service.
So when people tell me wireless service is ubiquitous, I have my doubts.
I worry that rural states like West Virginia will be left behind and I simply will not stand for that.
With that said, I am grateful to all of our witnesses for being here today.
Thank you for your willingness to participate in what I hope will be a frank and fair conversation about the consumer benefits of wireless service, the viability of our existing regulatory models, and the pros and cons of handset exclusivity.
I look forward to your testimony.
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| 7th - |
Chairman Rockefeller Applauds the Senate's Confirmation of Nominees
- WASHINGTON, D.C.—Senator John D (Jay) Rockefeller IV (D-WV), Chairman of the U.S. Senate Committee on Commerce, Science and Transportation, issued the following statement today regarding the confirmation of:
Mr. Christopher P. Bertram, to be Assistant Secretary for Budget and Programs and Chief Financial Officer at the U.S. Department of Transportation
Ms. Patricia D. Cahill, to be a...
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| 7th - |
Chairman Rockefeller on "Cash for Clunkers"
- WASHINGTON, D.C.—Senator John D. (Jay) Rockefeller IV (D-WV), Chairman of the U.S. Senate Committee on Commerce, Science and Transportation, issued the following statement today regarding the Senate’s passage (60-37) of H.R. 3435, a bill making supplemental appropriations for FY2010 for the Consumer Assistance to Recycle and Save Program (“Cash for Clunkers”).
“I a...
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| 6th - |
Hearing Summary: Waste, Fraud and Abuse in the Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) Program
- WASHINGTON, D.C. - The U.S. Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation held a full committee hearing today on Waste, Fraud and Abuse in the Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) Program.
Witness List:
Mr. Alfred J. Longhi, Jr., former Vice President for Sales and Marketing, Lithium Power Technologies
Mr. Thomas J. Howard, Acting Inspector General, National Aeronautic...
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Hearing Summary - Aviation Safety: The Relationship Between Network and Regional Airlines
- WASHINGTON, D.C. - The U.S. Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation held a subcommittee hearing today on Aviation Safety: The Relationship Between Network Airlines and Regional Airlines.
Witness List:
Mr. Philip H. Trenary, President and Chief Executive Officer, Pinnacle Airlines Corp.
Mr. Peter Bowler, President and Chief Executive Officer, American Eagle Airlines...
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| 5th - |
Executive Session: Committee Legislation Summary
- WASHINGTON, D.C.—Today the U.S. Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation held an Executive Session and favorably reported out the following legislation and nominees:
S. 1078, the AmericaView Geospatial Imagery Mapping Program Act
S. 30, the Truth in Caller ID Act of 2009
S. 251, the Safe Prisons Communications Act of 2009
S. 952, Harmful Algal Blooms and Hyp...
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| 5th - |
Hearing Summary: Nominations Hearing
- WASHINGTON, D.C. - The U.S. Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation held a full committee hearing today on nominations.
Witness List:
Mr. Dennis F. Hightower, to be Deputy Secretary of the U.S. Department of Commerce
Mr. Robert S. Adler, to be a Commissioner of the Consumer Product Safety Commission
Ms. Anne M. Northup, to be a Commissioner of the Consumer Product...
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