>> would he continue to give himself as always to the task to the brits him and victory and peace? >> mr. speaker, i think the whole house will want to pay tribute to the right honorable member for a long and distinguished career, not just in this house but in representation and a number of forums, including holding the position of first minister of northern ireland. and i believe that the part he played in bringing the union commuter together and bring the whole commute together in northern ireland to ensure that we had power and to ensure that we have now completed the process of power is one that will adorn the history books in many decades and centuries to come. so i think, mr. speaker, on this day and on this occasion, i want the whole house to thank him for his service to this house and to the whole community. >> thank you, mr. speaker, does my right of a friend agree with me that no member of this house or the other place should seek to censor the bbc or the independent newspaper from questioning the involvement of lord ashcroft and the alleged corruption scandals? [shouting] >> mr. speaker, they don't like hearing the name lord ashcroft, but he is deputy chairman of the conservative party. [shouting] >> and the british house of commons is in recess until easter. you can find a video archive of past prime ministers questions and links to the house of commons and prime ministers websites. >> up next on c-span, a house hearing on broadband expansion and then a discussion on board spending by secretary clinton and secretary gates. after that, q&a with david martin. >> monday, a discussion on reaction to the federal communications commission the just released a national broadbent plan. that is on c-span2. now, members of the federal communications committee testified about plans for broadbent. the fcc wants to connect 100 million households lacking broadband today. the plan is part of an economic stimulus package that passed last february. rick d trend in the telecommunications sector is for development of advanced technologies and increased competition. deregulation has successfully promoted investment, innovation, and more competition, benefiting consumers. 95% of americans now have broadband and more than one choice of carrier. that statistic, along with more than $100 billion recently invested in infrastructure, speaks for itself. as mr. barton said, if it ain't broken, don't fix it. if it works, let's not break it. it is clear that as the level of competition increases the amount of regulation should decrease. i hope we all can agree that markets have done a better job of protecting consumers than the regulators do. in a competitive market, which should permit market forces to work and not interpose government regulations between providers and consumers. all that does is impede the competition we all want to see. i applaud your goal of providing 100 million homes with access to 100 megabytes per second broadband by 2020. i believe we can do that without regulation. the level of deployment will only come with a continued robust investment by the private sector. i would agree with the chairman dingell that the fcc requirement on carriers to unbundle their fiber will not be met by this legislative body. do not change the rules after investments have been made. do not put up roadblocks to new investment. finally, i have concerns about spectrum proposals that could cause harm to consumers and broadcasters as a result of the digital transmission. broadcasters return over 100 megahertz to the government and at the same time increase their services. i yield back my time. >> the gentleman from massachusetts is recognized for two minutes. >> thank you very much. congratulations to the federal communications commission. when i put the language in the stimulus package mandating that the federal communications commission had to return this as a report back to the american people on the future of broadband, just 30 months ago, i can tell you right now that you met the highest expectations i had when i answer to that language into the law. the table of contents is just an indication of how thoroughly you have examined this subject -- health care, education, energy, the environment, economic opportunity, government performance, civic engagement, public safety. this is as thorough a compendium of the issues that we have to work on in order to make sure that america once again regains its position as no. 1 in the world in broadband as could ever be asked to be put together. we have dropped from second to 15th in the world, behind luxembourg, behind canada, finland, over the last eight years. with the company's going to court, going to the fcc, chipping away at the competitive rules we had put on the books. as that happened, we saw the united states slipped step-by- step into a position where the rest of the world looks at us over their shoulder. this gives us the opportunity with this plan to once again regain that leadership. google, ebay, amazon, hulu -- we have been slowly slipping behind. this is an incredible plan. if it is fully implemented, both investment and consumer protection will be unleashed in a way which will guarantee that the american people will be the country that the rest of the world looks to with envy. we thank you for that. we want to work with you to insure that it is fully implemented so that we can regain a competitive edge that gave us that incredible position that we enjoyed and that has slipped from our grasp. we thank you for holding this meeting. >> the gentleman from illinois is recommended -- is recognized. >> i am glad i followed my friends from massachusetts. as far as i know, this is a product of the chairman, not a product of the commission. there was no vote on this plan. i think we're going to hear that through the questions today, not that the chairman did not put a lot of time and effort into this. i want to debunk this 16th place. you have to be joking me. lichtenstein, monaco bahrain, south korea, iceland, singapore, st. kitts? everyone in the top 20 -- we can fit the 25 in the continental united states. we have to get off comparing as -- comparing apples to oranges. it is like saying the city of new york has it and so we are fine. we have 95% of our people on broadband. 5% do not. they are in my district. the stimulus fund is not going to them. that is what works people up. 95% of us have it. it is the private sector that throws it out. we want to take over another sixth of the economy through moving this whole information age from title i to title ii? we're not going to get a surprise from the chairman this time because it is here. some commentators have suggested a second approach in which the fcc would implement certain plan recommendations under its title ii authority. let us have this hearing. let us have this debate. the system is working. what is not working is in rural america. we spend billions of dollars and the money is not going there. we have the stimulus rollout. we are overbuilding places that have broadband right now with our tax dollars, and it is not going where it is needed. i yield back. >> the lady from california is recommended -- is recognized. >> thank you for moving so quickly to schedule this hearing, and welcome to the entire federal communications commission. i have read the plan. i want to congratulate you. i think it is a bold one. i think it is what our country needs. on this issue of where the united states is ranked in the world, according to the international telecommunications union, they have measured the united states. they say that we have slipped from 11th to 17th between 2002 and 2007. we know that our standing in the world is not a source of pride to us. pure than 27 out of every 100 americans have broadband service, compared with much better numbers in other countries. today, we are going to hear the plan. we're going to ask questions about it. i am very pleased that many of the priorities that i have kind of pounded away on over the years are contained in the plan. it really reflects my own legislative agenda. i hope will move expeditiously on the broadband conduit bill, which will ensure that federally funded transportation projects require laying the broadband infrastructure so we do not have to dig up what we have already built in order to lay down what we know we need. i also look forward to the subcommittee fast tracking consideration of the next generation 911 builill that my colleague, in his fright about where we are or are not -- he would have mentioned this. we introduced the bill two weeks ago. i am ready to vote on a thorough and complete reconstruction of the universal service fund and its programs so that we essentially can leapfrog into the 21st century. america has always led the world in countless ways. that is what i find so exciting about the plan. it is a road map, a plan of how we can get there. we also need to decide the future of telecommunications services and their individual classification so that we can ensure that consumers are properly protected and that competitiveness is encouraged. no matter who i me with, they are always for competition unless it cuts into the competition that they have a total hold on. we need an aggressive agenda because the united states lags badly. i look forward to hearing from each one of the commissioners. this is going to be a lively debate. at the end of it, i think what we all are -- our common goal must be competition, that every person in the country is reached by 2020 with high speeds, not this lagging speed that somehow people have a source of pride about. i do not. i do not think it is good enough for our country. i look forward to working with everyone to accomplish this for our country. thank you for a job well done. it is broad, it is a visionary, and it is bold. i think it is exactly what we need to be talking about. >> the lady from california is recognized. >> good morning. i also would like to thank the sec for its hard work on the national broadband plan. it is clear that a great deal of effort and thought went into this effort. i see opportunities for the committee and commission to work together to increase investment and opportunity. in a general sense, i think the approach to universal service is promising. further, i believe most of us agree the goals of the plan are admirable. who among us does not want to facilitate capital investment and increase constituent access and increase constituent access to bro members of congress also have goals. my goal is to support policy to create jobs for my constituents. therefore, i have to question a plan that calls for a heavier hand. a sector of our economy continues to attract capital investment. the high-tech sector is best served to enact policies in capital investment. -- additionally, -- the creators and owners of content should have the property protected by law and should we should reward entities, not punish them. when i see sections that relax protections, i m become concerned. i would like to caution you on pursuing any agenda without legal authority. you can -- if you make decisions that increase uncertainty in the lawsuit and encourage legislation. i look forward to the question and answer portion and yield back the balance of a my time. >> mr. stupak is recognized. >> thank you for convening the hearing. welcome to the commission. the national broadband plan hits a number of important issues such as public safety interlock ability, transitioning the usf for broadband, and freeing of spectrum for commercial use. i want to focus on recommendations for the interoperable public safety broadband network. the plan's recommendation identifies an issue of and highlighting for years -- the need for a funding plan for an interoperable public safety net work. the plan calls on congress to establish a grant program to establish the network and create a funding mechanism. if the fcc is moving forward with auctioning be d block spectrum, we should use 100% of the funds to build this not work. . . >> i appreciate the hearing and i want to welcome the commission. we are so pleased that you are here. needless to say, we have all been following what you have done with it broadband plan and we are anxious to have a discussion with you. a couple of quick points these are the recommendations that will protect job creation. because of this, i am anxious to drill down deeper. you all know my district in tennessee. if you know that we have a creative community there. this is the availability of brodhead. the chairman -- i wanted to hope for stronger but more often -- definitive language. instead, i have really found the language to be ambiguous and hopeful . be ambiguous and i am hopeful that we will see some changes. investment is a concern that i have. we all know that reclassification is nothing more than a stepping stone for implementing that neutrality which i believe would be detrimental to a thriving telecommunication industry. before i yield back, i also want to flag a concern over what i think is a toothless effort in the plan to curb copyright infringement. i applaud your knowledge in -- your acknowledgment of illegal distribution of copyrighted content being a problem. i am anxious to get your thoughts on how we can put a little bit more heft behind that in continuing to protect the innovations of those who are burned in next generation technologies and uses and our creative community. >> thank you. the gentleman from pennsylvania, mr. doyle, is recognized. >> thank you. i will be brief. i always thought that if you failed to plan, you plan to fail. looking over the broad baband p lan, congratulations. you have passed. it is a bold plan of action and it gives us a few things to do. i will not run down a laundry list but i think the plan to promote competition is much needed and well received. competitors need access in order to deliver more affordable or innovative services. additionally, the plan for universal service fund reform is well thought out. i hope the commission takes this up as soon as possible even without a bill out of congress. chairman genachowski, you have a lot to be proud of. i want to congratulate you and your team. >> thank you. the gentleman from alabama is recognized for two minutes. >> thank you. i ask unanimous consent to submit my opening statement for the record. >> without objection. >> just a few comments. i never thought i would ever see the fcc commission. i found an fm frequency and put it up for public notice in seven years later we got it on air. you can see that i am not pro- regulation. i do believe that the report is done with a good heart and with the american people in mind. i recognize that the competition that exists in the marketplace has accomplished a great deal and i hope that as we go through these hearings, i am sure the debate will be spirited, i hope we have in mind that there is not a lot that we can do to improve what has been done or in the spirit of what has been accomplished by private industry. i appreciate your being here and look forward to the discussion. thank you. >> thank you. the gentle lady from california is recognized for two minutes. >> thank you. thank you for calling the hearing. i also would like to think chairman genachowski for being with us and for the work on the national broadband plan. they crafted a bold and visionary plan. no plan of this magnitude is perfect, this plan demonstrates american leadership and will serve as a blueprint for the world to follow. i am pleased that it aims to close the digital divide by recognizing the fact that millions of americans, particularly in such tough economic times, cannot afford the high cost of broadband. i introduced the broadband affordability act that would expand a program for universal broadband adoption. this would ensure that all americans living in urban and rural and suburban areas have access to affordable boucher services. i applaud the fcc for adopting these suggestions. this is a major step toward closing the digital to buy it. a look forward to working with the fcc and my colleagues. this recognizes the importance of introducing more competition into the marketplace. this promotes competition in our economy. and the plan recognizes the critical role that brought a band placed in moving our nation today greater path of efficiency and energy independence. i plan to introduce legislation in the coming week that will complement many of the sec recommendations on smart grids this nation can promote a smarter electric grid that allows consumers to make choices that can save energy and can save them money. i am looking forward to working with my colleagues and the commission on overseeing and implemented many of the important initiatives recommended in the national broadband plan. thank you for holding these important hearings. >> thank you. the gentleman from nebraska, mr. terry. >> thank you. thank you for being here. i appreciate your input. i felt the plan lays a good overview. it brought it from a nebulous 50,000 foot level down to a 10,000 foot level without getting into the granular activities or details which i think is good in the sense that it may signal that we actually have a role in congress. you have done a good job in inc. different entities. congress needs to take your plan and use that as the recommendation but we need to do our job in congress. frankly, i am uncomfortable with just saying you take the lead on all of this stuff and we are not going to deal with that. i think the role as for us to do it and we take your plan as a recommendation. on the republican side, we have heard a lot about private sector involvement and i want to make sure that when i read the plan, there are some regulatory types of policies outlined in that we will have great debate within this committee on. let us not short the private sector. $60 billion per year by the private sector rolling out broadband should not be lost faugh. . government spending and subsid ies are a small percentage. if we think government is going to be the answer, we are not going to get this plan adopted. with that, i will yield back. >> thank you. the gentleman from california is recognized for two minutes. >> i want to thank you note, mr. chairman, for having discontinued and timely hearing. i want to commend the commission for your hard work. this is a comprehensive plan. you have worked hard. if the plan clearly includes many important issues but i am only going to be able to focus on a couple of them. a large part of my district has been severely hit by the economic downturn and promoting job creation is my highest priority. it is significant that many of the company's in the telecommunications industry are still expanding even during the economic downturn. i am very excited by the job growth potential that implementing this plan can produce and a vigorous investments by the private sector couple by sensible policy will clearly benefit our entire nation. finally, i would like to ask the commissioners to discuss briefly the issues pertaining to the spectrum allocation and special access. and with that, i yield back the balance of my time. >> thank you. but the gentleman from michigan is recognized for two minutes. >> thank you, mr. chairman. i hope we get to some result of where we are going. i think title ii reclassification is dangerous, at best. this has put a shiver of cold into the investment community about where we are going with broadband development. we want to talk about what has made america great. it was not the u.s. congress or the executive branch. it was private entrepreneurs putting capital at risk and making things happen. the reason that we have 27% is because the private market will pursue a plan that allows ever turn on the investment so they can go to the next phase of that investment. any t