Transcripts For CSPAN2 Today In Washington 20101201

i also want to thank, if i can, the unsung heroes of this institution. the senate staff, my personal staff. it would be a grievous understatement to simply say that they make the trains run on time. without them, as all of us know, the train, of course, would never leave the station at all. the floor staff, the cloakroom professionals of both parties and the hundreds of unknown and unseen people who show up every day in this body to make this critical institution of democracy function, without th them, no senator could fulfill his or her obligations to the american people. many of my personal staff and committee staff are present in the senate gallery today and neither i nor the millions of americans whose lives they've enriched or whose burdens they have lightened can ever thank you enough. i only hope that your time with me has been as fulfilling as my time with you. of course, i owe an enormous debt of gratitude to the people of connecticut whose confidence, patience, and spirit has given my life and its work deep meaning. as rich as our common language is, words cannot even come close to capturing the depth of my affection for and the appreciation of the people of the state of connecticut. for almost four decades, three terms in the house of representatives, five terms in this chamber, you've entrusted me to labor on your behalf and i deeply thank you for that honor. and lastly, my family. my parents are long since deceased but their guidance, inspiration and example have never departed. for the last 30 years, i've sat at this very same desk occupied by my father during the 12 years that he served in this chamber. his courage, character, and conviction have been a constant reminder of what it means to be a united states senator. i want to thank my siblings and their children, other relatives for their enthusiastic support, particularly during the rough patches. from time to time, we all need the safe harbor of family at the darker moments. and to jackie and grace and christina, who've supported and inspired me every day, you mean more to me than i could ever say in these few short moments. so come january, i'm glad i'll have more time to say it to you more often. and to jackie in particular, you've been my anchor to winward and the rough and turbulent waters of public service. when it was the darkest, you were the brightest. so to you and to my young ladies, i love you more than life. as this chapter of my career comes to a close, a new chapter in the senate's history is beginning. when this body is goostled order in january, nearly half of its members will be in their first term. and even though i could spend hours fondly recalling a lifetime of yesterdays, this new senate and the nation must confront a very uncertain tomorrow. so rather than recite a long list of personal memories or to revisit video highlights of my senate service, i'd like to take these brief time and these few short moments to offer a few thoughts to those who will write the senate's next chapter. i'll begin by stating the sadly obvious. our electoral system is a mess. powerful financial interests free to throw money along with their -- about with little transparency have corrupted, in my view, the basic principles underlying our representative democracy. and as a result, our political system at the federal level is completely dysfunctional. those who were elected to the senate just a few weeks ago must already begin the unpleasant work of raising money for their reelection six years hence. newly elected senators will learn that their every legislative maneuver, their every public utterance, and even some of their private deliberations will be fodder of a 24/7 political media industry that seems to favor speculation over analysis and conflict over consensus. this explosion of new media brings with it its own benefits and its drawbacks and it is occurring simultaneously as the presence of traditional media outlets in our nation are declining. so while the corridors of congress are crowded with handheld video and cell phone cameras, there's a declining role unfortunately for newspapers, radio and network journalists reporting the routine deliberations that take place in our subcommittee hearings. case in point, ten years ago, 11 or 12 reporters from connecticut covered our delegation's legislative activities. today they're only one doing the same work. meanwhile, intense partisan polarization has raised the stakes in every debate and on every vote, making it difficult to lose with grace or nearly impossible to compromise without cost. americans distrust of politicians provides compelling incentives for senators to distrust each other, to disparage this very institution and disengage from the policy-making process. these changes have already had their effect on the senate. the purpose of insulating one-half of our national legislature from the volatile shifts in public mood has been degraded. and while i strongly favor reforming our campaign finance system, revitalizing and rehabilitating our journalistic traditions and restoring citizen faith in government and politics, i know that wishes won't make it so. now, i've heard some people suggest that the senate as we know it simply cannot function in such a highly charged political environment, that we should change senate rules to make it more efficient, more responsive to the public mood, more like the house of representatives, where the majority can essentially bend the minority to its will. i appreciate the frustrations that many have with the slow pace of the legislative process and i certainly share some of my colleagues' anger with the repetitive use and abuse of the filibuster. thus, i can understand the temptation to change the rules that make the senate so unique and simultaneously so terribly frustrating. but whether such temptation is motivated by a noble desire to speed up the legislative process or by pure political expediency, i believe such changes would be unwise. when 100 senators are but a -- we 100 senators, rather, are but temporary stewards of a unique american institution founded upon universal principles. the senate was designed to be different, not simply for the sake of variety but because the framers believed the senate could and should be the venue in which statesmen would lift america up to meet its unique challenges. as a senator from the state of connecticut and the longest-serving one in its history, i take special pride in the role of two connecticut yankees in the establishment of this very body. it was roger sherman and oliver ellsworth, delegates from connecticut to the constitutional convention in 1787, who proposed the idea of a bicontamine rel -- bicameral national legislature. the connecticut compromise, as it became to known, was designed to ensure that no matter which way the political winds blew or how hard the gusts, there would be a place, one place, for every voice to be heard. the history of this young democracy, the framers decided, should not be written solely in the hand of the political majority. in a nation founded in revolution against tyrannical rule, which sought to crush dissent, by the way, there should be one institution that would always provide a space where dissent was valued and respected. e pluribus unum, out of many, one, and though we would act as one, and should, the framers believed that our political debate should always reflect that in our beliefs and in our aspirations, we are, in fact, many. in short, our founders were concerned not only with what we legislated but just as importantly, with how we legislated. now, in my years here, i've learned that the appreciation of the senate's role in our national debate is an acquired taste. therefore, to my fellow senators who have never served a day in the minority, i urge you to pause in your enthusiasm to change senate rules. and to those in the minority who routinely abuse the rules of the senate to delay or defeat almost any senate decision, know that you'll be equally responsible for undermining unique value of the united states senate, a value, i would argue, greater than that which you might assign to the political motivations driving your obstruction. and so, but in the end, of course, i would suggest this isn't about the filibuster. what will determine whether this institution works or not, what has always determined whether we will fulfill the framers' highest hopes or justify the cynics' worst fears, is not the senate rules or the calendar or the media. it is whether each of the 100 senators can work together, living up to the incredible honor that comes with the title and the awesome responsibility that comes with this office. politics today seemingly rewards only passion and independence, not deliberation and compromise as well. it has become commonplace to hear candidates for this body campaign on how they're going to washington to shake things up all by themselves. may i politely suggest that you're seekingy eks ting electie wrong office. the united states senate disunt work that way nor can it or should. mayors, governors, presidents can sometimes succeed by the sheer will of or force of their will. but there's never been a senator so persuasive, so charismatic, so clever or so brilliant that they could make a significant difference while refusing to work with other members of this body. simply put, mr. president, senators cannot ultimately be effective alone. as i noted earlier, until last year's health care bill, there had not been a single piece of legislation that i've ever passed without a republican partner. of course, none of these victories came easily. the notion that partisan politics is a new phenomena or that partisan politics serve no useful purpose is just flat wrong. from the moment of our founding, america has been engaged in an eternal and often pitched partisan debate. that's not weakness. in fact, it is at the core of our strength as a democracy and our success as a nation. political bipartisanship is a goal, not a process. you don't begin the debate of participate. you arrive there and you can only do so when determined partisans create consensus and, thus, bipartisanship. in the end, the difference between a partisan brawl and a passionate but ultimately productive debate rests on the personal relationships between those of us who serve here. the legislative body that operates on unanimous consent as we do cannot function unless the members of this body trust each other implicitly. there is eno hope of building that trust unless there is a will to treat each other with respect and civility and to invest the time it takes to create that trust and to strengthen those personal bonds. no matter how object noxious you find a colleague's rhetoric or how odious you find their beliefs, you need them and despite what some insist, you do no injustice to your ideological principle when you seek out common ground. do you no injustice to your political beliefs when you take the time to get to know those who don't share them. i've served with several hundred senators under every partisan configuration imaginable -- republican presidents, democratic presidents, divided dwofts, and one-party rule. and as odd as it may sound in the present political environment, in the last three decades i have served here, i cannot recall a single senate colleague -- democrat or republican -- with whom i could not work. sometimes those relationships took time, but then that is the way and why the framers gave us secure terms, so that members could build the social necessary to make this function. each of us are given a six-year term. but only each member can decide how to use those years. and as one senator who has written what is possible, i urge each of my colleagues to take the time to use those years well and i pledge to those of you who have recently arrived, your tenure here will be so much more rewarding. more importantly you'll be vindicating the confidence that the framers placed in each person who takes the oath of office as a united states senator, upholding a trust that echos above the centuries. i share the confidence that roger sherman, oliver ellsworth and the framers placed in this body and in its members, but i'm not blind. i know the senate today in the view of many is not functioning as well as it can or should. i urge you to look around you, however. this moment is difficult, not only for this body but for our nation it servings and in the end what matters most in america is not only what happens within the walls of this chamber but, rather, the consequences of our decisions across the nation and around the world. our economy is struggling, as all of us know. many of our people are experiencing real hardship in our country. the obvious unemployment, home foreclosures, endangered pensions with the obvious problems people are facing. meaningwhile, we face challenges of a mounding debt, nuclear proliferation, ongoing conflicts in iraq and afghanistan and comp more. all of these challenges make the internal and procedural conflicts we face as senators somehow small and petty. history calls us, each of us who serve here, to lift our eyes above the fleeting confidences of the moment and to refocus our attention on our common challenge and common purpose. by regaining its footing, this institution, the senate, can help this nation to regain its confidence and to restore that essential sense of optimism. we must regain that focus and most importantly we need our confidence back. we need to feel that same opt mix that has sustained our nation for more than two centuries. i am he not naive. i am aware of the conventional wisdom that predicts gridlock in congress. but i know both of these leaders, democratic and republican leaders, and i know the sitting members of the chamber well. and my confidence is not unshaken. why? because we've been there before. this is not new. the country has recovered in the past from economic turmoil. we've come together to heal deep divides in our nation. understand the senate has led bid finding its way -- and the senate has led by finding its way. we have proven time and time again that the senate is chabl of meeting that test of history. we've evidenced the wisdom of the framers who have set the high standard that we must meet. after all, no other legislative body grants so much power to each member, nor does any other legislative body ask so much of each member. just as the senate's rules empower each member to act like a statesman, they also require statesmanship from each of us. but these rules are merely requiring us from the kind of leadership that our constituents need, that history's history calls on us to provide in difficult times such as the ones we're encountering. maturity in a time of pettiness, calm in a time of anger, leadership in a time of uncertainty -- that is what the nation asks cht united states senate. that is what this office demands of each who serve here. over the past two centuries, some 1,900 men and women have shared the privilege of serving in this body. each of us has been granted but a temporary fleeting moment in which to indulge into our political ambition and ideological agenda, rise to the challenge and make a constructive mark on our nation's history. my moment is now at an end, but to those whose moments are not yet over and to those whose moments will soon begin, i wish you much more than good fortune. i wish you wisdom, i wish you courage, i wish for each of you that one day when you reflect back on your moment that you will know that you have lived up to the tremendous honor be, the daunting responsibility of being a united states senator. to quote st. paul, "the time of my departure has come. i've fought a good fight. i finished the. i kept the faith." so it is with great pride and deep humility and incredible gratitude to awful you here today, as a united states senator, that i yield the floor. thank you, mr. president. mr. reid: mr. president? the presiding officer: the majority leader. the majority leader is recognized. mr. reid: mr. president, i have, on many occasions, spoken of my afection of my friend chris dodd. that the caucus today, the presiding officer was there, i indicated that very few people have had the opportunity and the challenges in a single congress as chris dodd has. he found himself chairman of the banking committee at a time when the country was collapsing and the banks were collapsing but yet he led the way, to working with a republican president to do the so-called tarp. it was something that was done on a bipartisan basis. there was never a better example in my entire government career of a more cooperative group of senators, democrats and republicans, house and the senate working together to create something that was badly needed. and then we had -- of course there are many other issues dealing with wall street reform -- and then to complicate his life and add to the challenges in his life, the best friend a man could ever have was chris dodd's best friend, ted kennedy. and ted kennedy was stricken very ill. senator dodd knew that he wouldn't be back to the senate. very few people knew that but he knew that. and he in effect was sharing two major committee -- sharing two major committees at the same time, the "help" committee and the banking committee. he did it in a way that is so commendable, so exemplary. i have so much dish repeat -- affection -- i have so much -- i repeat -- affection for chris dodd. i'm not capable of expressing so deeply i feel about this good man. i'll have more to say later, but i did want to take this opportunity-to-, mr. president, to -- but i did want to take this opportunity, mr. president, to allow, as soon as the republican leader makes his prarks, t remarks, to allow his colleague to speak. i ask unanimous consent that following senator mcconnell's remarks, the senator be recognized. officer without objection. the republican leader. mr. mcconnell: like most members of this body, i am rarely for loss of words. mr. president, i think we've just had an opportunity to hear one of the most important speeches in the history of the senate about our beginnings, about our traditions, about what is unique about this institution, which really makes it different from any other legislative body in the world. and i've heard many people discuss that over the years, but never anyone so cogently point out why the uniqueness of this institution is so important to our country, as the senior senator from connecticut has done it today. and so while we had a huge number of senators on the floor, i'm going to strongly recommend that those who were not here have an opportunity to take a look at his remarks because i think they're enormous significant and important contribution to this institution and to its future. and on a personal basis, i want to say to my good friend from connecticut ham how much i'm going to miss him. wonderful personality, able to talk to anybody, really uniquely effective individual. and so we bid adieu to the senior senator from connecticut and hope that our path will cross again in the future. i yield the floor. a senator: mr. president? the presiding officer: the senator from connecticut. mr. lieberman: thank the chair. mr. president, for 22 years it has been really a blessing for me to have served with chris dodd in the united states senate. as my colleague from connecticut, as my dear friend, as my legislative partner, i'm going to miss him a lot, as everybody in this chamber will. and i think when we listen to the words that he spoke to us just a few moments ago, how full of wisdom and warmth they were, we know how much we're going to miss him and how much we should consider what has made him not only our great friend but a truly great senator. chris mentioned sherman and ellsworth, whose pictures are out in the reception area just off the senate, who crafted the connecticut compromise, really created the senate. i think chris dodd, who is the 54th senator from the state of connecticut in our history, took this institution that sherman an ellsworth created in the connecticut compromise and made it work. to to the great benefit of the people of connecticut and the people of america. chris dodd was born to a legacy, an honorable legacy of public service which he watched, as so many of us did in connecticut, and of course learned from from his father, senator thomas j. dodd. i could say a lot about senator dodd sr. he was a prosecutor at the nuremberg trials, remarkably principled, skillful prosecutor. became a member of the united states senate. as a young man in connecticut -- me -- growing up, thinking about a political career, when i heard that senator tom dodd was somewhere within range of where i lived or went to school, i went to listen to him speak. he was a classic orator, an extraordinarily principled man who had a great career here in the senate. and as we know from the years we've served with chris, the characteristics i've described in his father were taken and put to extraordinary good use here in the senate. chris' words were very important. and as senator mcconnell said should be studied by all of us and anybody thinking about coming to the senate. we all talk about this being an age of hyperpartisanship, but i think that misses the point. because as chris said, he's a partisan in the best sense of the word. he's a principled partisan. he's passionate about what he believes in. but he knows that wedom a point when -- we come to a point when partisanship ends and you've got to get something done for the public that was good enough to send you here. over and over again, any of us on both sides of the aisle who have watched chris work a bill know how persistent, how open, how anxious he was to try to find common ground, yes to compromise. because ultimately our work is the art of the possible. somebody once said to me, the futility of the failure to compromise, there's no result from it. but if you have a goal, a principled goal, you know that you can achieve a significant part of that goal if you can build enough support in this chamber. and time and time again chris dodd did that. the other reason i think that he did it is because of the truth that he spoke in his remarks, which is that beyond the great debates here and the headlines and the sniping back and forth, the senate, after all, is 100 people who go to work in the same place every day. and your ability to get things done here, as is true in office and factories all over america and other places of work, your ability to get things done here is affected in great measure by the trust your colleagues have in you and even the extent to which they like you. and i think by those standards, chris dodd has been totally trustworthy, as we were taught when we grew up in connecticut, politics was word. it has been his bond and his personality has warmed each of us as we've gone through the labors that we go through here. chris dodd has served longer in the united states senate than any senator from connecticut. so on this day -- and he'll forgive me a little bit -- i would guess just as a matter of friendship and faith that he's probably accomplished more than any other senator in the history of the state of connecticut. and he's done it because he cares about people. and when he takes something on, he simply does not quit. i just want to tell you one story. 1989, chris met a woman named ehave a bane -- named eva benell at her church. she told him her daughter had been born with a rare brain disease and was fighting for her life in the intensive care unit. but when her husband asked his employer for time off to be with his wife and critically sick infant, he was told to go home and never come back, leaving the family without income or health insurance. the story, all too common at the time, is just the kind of injustice that has repeatedly moved chris dodd to action. he authored, as we know, the family medical leave act. worked, as i said before, on compromises that made it acceptable to a large number of people, stuck with it through two presidential sraoe toerbgs and then -- vetoes and then finally saw it signed into law by president clinton in 1993. today the records will show that more than 50 million people -- 50 million people -- have been able to take time off from work to care for a loved one or give birth to a child without fear of losing their jobs. that is a lifetime achievement. that's only one of many such achievements that chris dodd has had here in the united states senate. senator reid talked about this last session of his senate career, extraordinary accomplishment: health care reform, wall street reform, the iran sanctions bill which came out of the banking committee which is the strongest such bill we've passed and the last step to avoid to take military action against iran, in my opinion. this is the kind of record chris has built up. up until this time i've been serious. when you talk about chris dodd it would be wrong to be totally serious, because one of the things we're going to miss here is that booming laugh and the extraordinary sense of humor. i've had many great laughs with colleagues here. i've probably given too many laughs to colleagues as i think about it. but i have never laughed louder or more than i have over the years with chris dodd. perhaps it's not totally appropriate on the senate floor, but i have two of his comments. one about me that i want to share. and i notice the former comedian is here. a while ago only chris dodd would have told an audience here in washington that he thought enough time has passed in my career that he could reveal that joe lieberman actually had not been born jewish, but was born a baptist and raised a b.p.a. teufplt and then -- raised a baptist. then when i got into politics and saw how many events i'd have to go to on friday night or saturday, i converted to judaism to be able to take the sabbath o. then chris says, i'm thinking of converting to judaism myself but only for the weekends. another quick quip, as my colleagues in the senate know, it's our honor to walk our state colleague down the center aisle here in the senate to be sworn in for a new term. the first time i did that, we walked arm and arm, as we always have, and chris turned to me and said you know, joe, there are people who are worried that you may be the only person i'll ever walk down an aisle with. well, fortunately that was not true. because chris and jackie got married and had these two wonderful daughters: grace and christina, who have provided so much joy and satisfaction and hopefulness to chris. we're going to miss you. i'm going to miss you personally, but i speak for myself but i speak, i would bet, for just about everybody in this chamber in saying that we feel so close to you that we know our friendship will go on. and i would say that chris dodd leaves -- to sum up, leaves an extraordinary senate career having achieved a record of results that has benefited the people of connecticut and america in untold ways. that he has a wonderful family that he looks forward to spending time with, and he has so many great years ahead of him, including, i hope and believe, times when he will again be of service to our country. god bless you, chris and your family. i yield the floor. the presiding officer: the senator from illinois. mr. durbin: mr. president, i want to join with my colleagues here in saluting the departure of one of our best, senator chris dodd. i first saw his father, though i didn't meet him, when i was a student intern for senator paul douglas of illinois who had an office that was next door to your father's. and i saw senator thomas dodd leaving that office and was certainly aware of the great contribution he made to america. little did i know that some 16 years later when i was be a candidate for the u.s. house of representatives his son would come to decatur, illinois, to do an event for me in my campaign. it was a smashing success, the biggest turnout ever. i'm sure shah senator dodd believes it might have been because of his presence. it also could have been because there was a $1 chick *pb dinner and -- chicken dinner and people came from miles around. christopher dodd was born in 1944 with a call, a thin veil of skin thought to be a sign of good luck covering his head. the doctor who delivered him told his mother with this sign of good luck this baby might grow up to be president, to which mrs. dodd replied what's the matter with franklin roosevelt? it was a great line. the truth is while grace and todd dodd were new dealers they knew when they taught they children they all have an obligation in our own time to try to move america to a more perfect union, thomas dodd worked to fulfill that obligation in his time. he chased don dillinger as an f.b.i. agent, prosecuted war criminals and kkk members as government lawyer and served in the house and senate. his son chris followed his father's example, found his way to serve america by serving as a peace corps volunteer in the dominican republic where he lived in a house with tin roof, no running water or telephone. in that village he started a maternity hospital, family planning program, youth club and school. those were the first installments of what would become for chris dodd a lifetime of work protecting women and children worldwide. senator dodd was elected to the senate in 1980 at the ripe age of 36. he is both the youngest person ever elected in connecticut history to the senate and the longest serving. early on his colleagues recognized his talent and named him one of the three most effective fresh tph*epb senators. he never let up his efforts to help america. he is a passionate articulate voice for human rights and for america's role as a moral leader in the world. he is a champion of fairness, cofounder of the senate's children's caucus, lead sponsor in 1993 of the family and medical leave act which helped countless millions of americans. he's achieved more in the last two years than most senators achieve in long careers. chairman of the senate banking committee, he led the fight in the senate for the most important wall street reform since the great depression. he picked up the standard from his dear friend ted kennedy and helped lead the fight that ted kennedy always dreamed of for affordable health care for all americans. for that achievement alone chris dodd earned a place in history. chris dodd has as eugene o'neill might say the map of ireland on his face but he has the promise of america written in his heart. his work in the senate has made that promise real for millions of americans. in his office in the russell senate office building, once occupied by his father, are portraits of two thomass. thomas dodd, his father, and another of his he roerbgs sir thomas -- his he roerbgs -- heroes sir thomas moore. he said if you can't completely eradicate wrong ideals or deal with inveterate licenses as effectively as you wish that is no reason for turning your back on public life altogether -fplgt you wouldn't abandon a ship in the storm because you couldn't control the wind. 30 years in the senate, chris dodd kept his compass fixed on the ideals that make america great and good. in doing so, he has made the senate, connecticut and america a better place. i'm proud to have served with him and call him a friend. i thank him for his efforts that brought me to the house of representatives so many years ago. i thank him for his special service and thanks to his wonderful family, jackie, a great friend and those two great daughters, grace and christine, whom i've seen as swimmers. good luck and good health to the whole family for many more chapters in their lives. and i yield the floor.the presie senator from rhode island. a senator: mr. president, i rise this afternoon to pay tribute to my dear, dear friend and colleague, and in a very real sense mentor. mr. reed: i can testify from the experience in the last two years of his remarkable contribution to this country. i don't believe any of the -- other senator could have navigated the treacherous waters of the dodd-frank bill. it was like watching a great conductor conduct a complicated piece of music, knowing when to let tempers cool, knowing when to pick up the tempo, knowing when to come to the final conclusion. it was a virtuoso performance in keeping with connecticut and to this country. but the most remarkable tribute that i've ever heard about this wonderful man was in a very unusual place by a person who honestly probably doesn't know who he is. it was may 21, 2010. i was visiting a wounded soldier at walter reed army hospital, a member of the 108. he had been wounded around kandahar by an i.e.d. fortunately he was on the road to recovery. we joked for a moment, talked about his experiences and then i turned to his mother, who was sitting there, watching her son, her life, her hope, make a full recovery. and i said, how are you doing? and she'd said to me very simply, i'm doing fine, you see, i was able to take family medical leave and be with my son while he recuperated. now she probably doesn't know who you are or what you did, but she, along with 50 million other americans, were by the hospital bed of a wounded son or sick child or ailing parent and that, to me is the greatest tribute to what you've done. there's a great line that i recall about franklin roosevelt, his cortege was winding its way through washington, the man -- a man was sobbing, a reporter rushed up to him and said, did you know the president? he said, no, he never knew the president, but he knew me. chris dodd and the people of connecticut and the people of the united states and in every moment he served them with integrity and diligence and honor. and, chris, to you and your family, and i say this because your mother is from westly, rhode island, god bless her, an your beloved sister are rhode islanders, so as an adopted son of rhode island, thank you for your service to the nation. a senator: mr. president? the presiding officer: the senator from rhode island. mr. whitehouse: may i associate myself with the remarks of my distinguished senior senator and reemphasize our pride in the comments that senator dodd, chrised to has with rhode island. i yield the floor. a senator: mr. president? the presiding officer: the senator from new jersey. a senator: mr. president, i just want to take a couple of minutes -- mr. lautenberg: to salute the service of one great united states senator. chris dodd. chris and i have served together more than 25 years and when i arrived here, and i was not one of the youngest people they get here at that time, but chris was someone i knew from other walks of life, and i turned to him and my dear friend who used to occupy this seat, ted kennedy, for advice and counsel. sometimes the counseling was better than the advice, but we were younger then and chris dodd has that incredible personality that gets things done that presents a leadership position on issues and has -- and showed incredible patience in the way that he dealt with financial reform, with health care and -- but never as i saw it did chris leave the people who disagreed with him with anger, with a feeling of anger or feeling o of -- other than respect and friendship. chris comes from a distinguished family. his father, having occupied seats here for a dozen years, and now for senator dodd, senator chris dodd to have decided to leave senate, it was a decision that he made that i totally disagreed with. it was bad judgment, can i tell you that. because chris, when i left after 18 years of service, i had three terms, and i decided i had enough. and i -- i left and good fortune smiled on me and i came back after two years of a two-year absence. missing being here maybe more than it missed me, but i remember as i made my outgoing visits -- no, my decision-making visits, kristin sighted m chrise office and paul wellstone, who is deceased and they sat with me in chris's office and chris tried to talk to talk -- tried to talk me out of leaving and i said, no, it's a decision i made and i began to have misgivings about it. by then the dye was cast and there were other people who wanted to run for the job. and so i left with lots of regrets and i was away from here for a period of time in 2001 when i left. it was a terrible year, the year of 9/11 and the beginning of a war. and i tried to play turn around with chris. i said, chris, don't leave, don't do it. chris -- chris dodd will leave a void. i think it's obvious that someone will follow, take the reins, it doesn't mean taking place. i don't think that's possible. chris dodd will have left an impression here of decency and honesty and fun and respect. all -- both sides of the aisle, one of the few times that we all agree. and so i say to chris and jackie and his little girls that we wish you well. our friendship will endure way past our time serving together. and, chris, follow my example. give it a couple of years. get back here. thank you, chris dodd foryour wonderful service. we love you and we miss you, but we'll always think about you. a senator: mr. president? the presiding officer: the senator from new york. mr. schumer: i too rise -- i'll speak briefly -- in honor of my friend and our colleague, the senior senator from connecticut. and i have watched him from date i came here. we knew each other a little bit when i was in the house. he left the house to go to the senate, but we had many of the same friends when i came to the house and always marveled at his abilities. you know, for those of us who have served here, i've only been here 12 years, we know the joys and difficulties of legislating here in the senate. we know it's not easy and we know how satisfying it is. there are very few who reach the acme of how to do it and who devote their lives to it. and i guess they're given a title -- i don't know if it's official, but probably not -- they're men and women of the senate. we've had two leave us in the last year, senator robert byrd and senator ted kennedy. they were truly men of the senate. and it's not a title bestowed easily or lightly or frequently. chris dodd is a man of the senate in the category of ted kennedy and robert byrd in terms of his abilities to get things done, his ability as a legislative craftsman, of somebody who's able to combine idealism and practicality, of somebody who's able to sit down with someone as mentioned before of a totally different viewpoint and get them to compromise and be on his side and be part of the effort that he is leading. he's a man of the senate. he will always be a man of the senate. i will miss him personally for the guidance and friendship and i think every one of us will.or? mr. mccain: mr. president, i want to say a few words about a friend and colleague whom i will miss very much when he leaves the senate after we adjourn, senator russ feingold. i can't thank him for his service without mentioning the outstanding work of his capable staff, mary ervine, his chief of staff, his policy director, his chief counsel, and paul wineberger, legislative director, a loyal and outstanding team. without intending it as a commentary on his successor, i have to confess, i think the senate will be a much poorer place without russ feingold in it. i know that in my next term, i will experience fewer occasions of inspiration because of the departure of russ feingold, a man whose courage and dedication to the principles that guided his senate service often inspired me. i will also miss the daily experience of russ feingold's friendship and the qualities that distinguish his friendship, his thoughtfulness, kindness, humor and loyalty. i have treasured that friendship all the years we have served together, and while friendship doesn't end with a senate career, i will sorely miss his presence here. i will miss seeing him every day. i will miss traveling with him. i will miss the daily reminder of what a blessing it is to have a true friend in washington. our first encounter with one another was in a senate debate in which we argued about an aircraft carrier, somewhat heatedly, if memory serves. russ thought the united states navy had one too many. i thought we didn't have enough. it was, i'm sorry to admit, not a very considerate welcome on my part to a new colleague whom i would soon have many reasons to admire, but to russ' credit, he didn't let my discourtesy stand in the way of working together on issues where we were in agreement. to my good fortune, he didn't let it stand in the way of our friendship either. we are of different parties, and our political views are often opposed. we have had many debates on many issues, but where we agreed on wasteful spending, ethics reform, campaign finance reform and other issues, it was a privilege to fight alongside and not against russ feingold. we don't often hear any more about members of congress who distinguish themselves by having the courage of their convictions, who risk their personal interests for what they believe is in the public interest. i have seen many examples of it here, but the cynicism of our times among the political class and the media and the voters tend to miss the examples of political courage or dismiss them as probable frauds or at best exceptions that prove the rule. in his time in the senate, russ feingold every day and in every way had the courage of his convictions, and although i am quite a few years older than russ and have served in this body longer than he has, i confess i have always felt he was my superior in that cardinal virtue. we were both up for re-election in 1998. i had an easy race. russ had a difficult one. as many of our colleagues will remember, russ and i opposed soft money, the unlimited corporate and labor donations to political parties that we believed were compromising the integrity of congress, and we were a nuisance on the subject. russ' opponent in 1998 was outspending him on television, and the race became tighter. it reached a point where most observers, democrats and republicans, expected him to lose. the democratic party pleaded with russ to let it spend soft money on his behalf. russ refused. he risked his seat, the job he loved because his convictions were more important to him than any personal success. i think he is one of the most admirable people i've ever met in my life. we've had a lot of experiences together. we fought together for many things, important things, and we fought many times on opposite sides. we have been honored together and scorned together. we have traveled abroad together. we couldn't be further apart in our views on the wars in iraq and afghanistan, but we traveled there together as well to gain knowledge that would inform our views and challenge them. we have listened to each other, debated each other, defended each other, joked and commiserated together, and in my every experience with russ feingold, in agreement and disagreement, in pleasant times and difficult ones, in heated arguments and in a relaxed conversation of friends, he was an exemplary public servant, a gentleman, good company, an irreplaceable friend, a kind man, a man to be admired. i can't do justice in these remarks to all of russ' many qualities or express completely how much i think this institution benefited from his service here and how much i benefited from knowing. i lack the eloquence. i don't think he is replaceable. we would all do well to keep his example in our minds as we serve our constituents and country and convictions. we couldn't have a better role model. i have every expectation we will remain good friends long after we have both ended our senate careers, but i will miss him here every day and i will try harder to become half the public servant that he is because his friendship is an honor and honors come with?? without objection, so ordered. the senator from utah is recognized. mr. hatch: thank you, mr. president. mr. president, i rise today to recognize the retirement and departure of my great friend, bob bennett. bob bennett -- senator bennett and i have jointly represented the state of utah for many years. we're close. during that time we've worked together as partners and collaborators but most of all as good friends. bob's presence in the senate is going to be sorely missed. senator bennett is a lot of things. he's honest, he's thoughtful, he's knowledgeable, and more than anything else, senator bennett is a fighter for the people of utah. bob has served with unwavering devotion to our state, its people, and its interests, and their interests. throughout his 18 years in the senate, the state of utah has been foremost in bob's thoughts and i don't believe he's made a single decision that he didn't believe was in the best interests of our state and of our nation. senator bennett is the son of frances and wallace f. bennett. wallace f. ben knelt, we should all remember, was also a great u.s. senator from utah who served four terms between 1951 and 1974. i think that's accurate. bob is also the grand son of hubert j. grant, a past president of the latter day saints. he was elected student body president and obtained a degree in political science in 1959. his first political job was managing his father's 1962 successful reelection campaign. bob then spent several years working as a mormon chaplain in the utah army national guard before becoming the chief congressional liaison at the u.s. department of transportation. after his time at the transportation department, senator bennett moved on to a successful career in public relations. for over a drksd he presided over some of the most successful and high-profile public relations organizations in the k he became well known for his hard work, his leadership ability and his entrepreneurial prowess. this was solidified in 1984 when bob was named the c.e.o. of the franklin international institute which is now known as franklin kofi. franklin kofi is now one of the premiere personal and organizational effectiveness firms in the world. the products and services provided by the company impact literally millions of people every year, but when bob joined the company, it had only four employees. during his tenure, that number grew to over 1,000, and by the time he left to run for the senate, the company was listed on the new york stock exchange. it was at that time an already thriving corporation, a world leader in its industry, thanks in no small part to bob's leadership. for his efforts, bob was named "inc" magazine's entrepreneur of the year for the rocky mountain region. bob was elected to the senate in 1992 after a hotly contested republican primary and a hard-fought general election. his father once again, the great senator wallace bennett, lived long enough to see his son win election and serve in the senate for almost a full year. i know that must have been a great source of pride for the senior senator bennett and his family. over his 18 years in the senate, bob has continued to demonstrate sound judgment and strong leadership. republican senators have considered him a trusted resource when it comes to strategy and policy. he has been a consistent resource for those who seek thoughtful answers to difficult political questions. for these reasons, among others, bob has served on the leadership teams of our current minority leader, senator mcconnell, as well as his predecessor, senator bill frist. while he is more well known for his quiet, contemplative misdemeanor, senator bennett has always been an outstanding orator. he comes often to the floor to discuss various issues at length, rarely reading from notes and almost never skipping a beat. his contributions to our debates here in the senate have always been very valuable, and i think people on both sides of the aisle will acknowledge that and have appreciated the type of advocacy that he has brought to the floor of the senate. always courteous, always well thought out, always reasonable and always, in my opinion, right. as i mentioned before, i know of few senators who have match senator bennett's commitment to the people he represents. every single person in the state of utah has benefited from the work of senator bennett. one cannot ride on a train or drive on a freeway in utah or avail themselves of so many other assets and attributes in utah without seeing the results of senator bennett's service in the senate. our state has seen a lot of growth in recent years due to the expansion of our population and the fact that more and more companies have recognized that utah is a great place to do business. utah's infrastructure has for the most part been able to keep pace with the rapid growth, thanks in large measure to the work of senator bennett. i will miss working with senator bennett to help the people of our state, but i will miss him more as a friend. mr. president, bob and his wonderful wife joyce -- and she has been a tremendous companion to him, a tremendous helpmate to him over these years -- they have been married for 48 years. they have six children and 20 grandchildren. i know that every one of them is proud of the great service bob has rendered to his country and the u.s. senate, and they should be. i, too, am so pleased and proud of my friend senator bennett, and i am certain that bob will be successful at anien deafer -- at any endeavour he chooses in the future upon leaving the senate. bob bennett is a wise counselor. he is a truly honest man. he cares for the people he represented and everybody in this country and many people throughout the world. he lives his religious beliefs. i can't -- other than family, i can't compliment him -- anybody any more than that. he lives his religion. he is exemplary. he is one of the most thoughtful people i have ever known. i value his friendship and i value his advice, and i have valued it over these years that we have served together. he has always been a serious and productive leader. he also has a tremendously great sense of humor. after all, -- and after all is said and done, he is a great father, grandfather, husband and friend, just to mention a few. bob will be successful in whatever he chooses to do. he's a good man. i personally will miss him. i think everybody in the senate will miss him. and i believe it's safe to say everybody in utah will miss him as well. some more than others, but nevertheless, if they look at his record and they look at the things that he's done for our state and for our people, they're going to thank god that bob bennett was a senator for 18 solid years. i personally thank the father in heaven for having him here as a partner to me, as a friend and as somebody i can rely on and i could counsel with on some of these very, very earth shakingly important matters that come before our united states senate. i have such a great opinion of bob bennett. i don't think even he has known, maybe not until today, how great that opinion has been. i think the world of him, i love him as a human being, and i wish him as a human being, and i wish >> the state department took questions on the leak of state department documents by wiki links on whether secretary of state clinton should resign over it. this briefing is 45 minutes. >> sorry to be late. good afternoon and welcome to the department of state. the secretary, as you may know, has arrived in boston on a, kazakhstan and i think has this morning hundred town hall event with about 580 representatives and also had a meet and greet with women leaders and kazakhstan, prior to starting the formal proceedings of the osce. just a few other things to mention before taking your questions. tomorrow, here in washington we will host the fifth round of talks with russia, regarding an agreement -- a legally binding agreement covering adoptions between the united states and russia. obviously, this is a process that has been undertaken between our two sides, based on an agreement between president obama in the dead of. officials have met four times in washington and moscow to negotiate this agreement that provides better safeguards for children, families and the adoption process between the two countries. and we will anticipate that these talks tomorrow will be with officials on both sides, reviewing the final text so there can be assigning in the near future. [inaudible] >> -- this'll be concluded tomorrow? >> we expect it will be concluded, with a formal agreement will not be signed. >> ouest assign a? or who would sign? >> i think that's to be determined. >> what are the main safeguards they've instituted? >> i'll tell you what, will someone down to provide a briefing wednesday if finalized the text between two sides. more transparency between the two sides would be among those considerations. turning to a couple of election situations, the united states congratulates moldova for connecting with international observers have deemed to be transparent and impartial parliamentary campaign election that met most international standards and reflected the will of the people of moldova. the n-november 20 represents another step forward on moldova's democratic path of those other people work together to form a government and elect a president in order to address the priority preforms facing the country. we are also conscious of the fact that there was voting on sunday and cote d'ivoire and that the conclusion of the briefing, you'll see a statement by secretary clinton, the votes are being tabulated as we speak. but the secretaries statement does follow. cote d'ivoire's elections are an opportunity for the nation to emerge from years of crisis, return to the community of democracies and build a successful and prosperous future for all ivorians. the united states called on all of oran leaders to act responsibly and peacefully to become a leader of cote d'ivoire. both candidates signed on november 27, committing to respect the peaceful process. we strongly urge the candidates to allow the tallying and reporting of results to proceed unhindered and to honor the results when they are announced. the hard work of democracy does not end when the votes are tallied and the winners announced contenders in the daily effort to find common ground, governed responsibility and strengthen the rule of law and democratic institutions. the united states will continue to stand with the people of cote d'ivoire and support their aspirations as they move forward together. finally, we have consulted with -- we've been watching the situation in the middle east and consulted to make sure that, you know, statements made in recent days were for them before we were commenting. by regarding a claim by a senior palestinian official, the western wall is an islamic luck. we strongly condemn these comments and fully reject them as factually incorrect, insensitive and highly provocative. we have repeatedly raised with the palestinian authority leadership, the need to consistently come back all forms of delegitimization of israel, including denying historic jewish connections to the land. as the united states has long maintained the status of jerusalem, must be resolved in final status negotiations between the parties. we recognize that jerusalem is a deeply important issue to israelis and palestinians, to jews, to muslims and christians everywhere. we believe it is possible to reach an outcome that both realizes the aspirations of all parties for jerusalem and safeguards that stature for the future. >> before moving on, p.j., imap, if if you recognize that jerusalem -- the status of jerusalem is so important, why are you so noncommittal when asked to the other day about the israeli approval of the jewish construction, a jewish housing in east jerusalem? >> i was only noncommittal and a sense before commenting to affirm that we had an fight raised her concerns with the israeli government as we have in the past. we have raised our concerns with the israeli government as we've said many times. you know, this jerusalem -- in all of its dimensions, you know, must be part of a negotiated settlement. but i would be cautious that there is not necessarily the equivalence, you know, kind of statements that we heard the other day, we think deserve strong combination. >> i agree they're sensibly no equivalent between some guy mouthing off in giving his opinion and actual bricks and mortar going up in an area that's disputed. i mean, the equivalent -- do come out and denounce the statement, which is more -- simply words, and it took a question from a reporter to get you to say anything about the actual, physical, on the ground construction there. i don't understand your equivalence or idea. one seems to be much more serious than another. >> we agree, but i think we have a different view as to what that equivalent is. what we are saying, again, to all five is that they both have responsibilities here. both have to take the responsibility to create, you know, conditions for negotiations to resume. and when you have a senior palestinian official who denies the historic connection at the jewish people feel to the western wall, we have an obligation to speak out at the same time. we do recognize that rather than changing facts on the ground, we want to see the parties return to negotiations. return to negotiations. return to negotiations. to express our concern to both sides, when appropriate, the inflammatory remarks on the one hand and actions on the ground on the other hand, both of the potential to undermine a return to negotiations. >> is that one is more serious than the other. which one is more serious? >> i'm just saying the united states -- the united states condemns the words of a senior palestinian official the other day. we have raised our concerns with the palestinians directly, but we thought it was appropriate to make clear that these kinds of inflammatory remarks are uncalled for. they're uncalled for any day, but they're uncalled for particularly at a sensitive time in the process. we have raised our concerns with the israeli government, but only recently, but successfully gone back many months about developments on the ground and many to come combat negotiations. both sides have responsibilities here, but we thought that these particular words were inflammatory. they called upon the palestinians for a long time to avoid these kinds of statements that are not conducive to getting the parties into a negotiation to a final agreement. >> we all know that diplomatic language is very important. by which you condemn the approval for new construction of east jerusalem by israel and yet you come out and you -- the >> we have expressed our concerns to the israeli government. we've done in the past, we've done it recently and we will be doing it up further meetings we held that the israelis in the coming days. he israelis understand our position very well. [inaudible] >> -- as to what constitutes a tolerable palestinian state? because it seems than netanyahu's mind, a palestinian state is demilitarized. so it should not -- according to wikileaks. [inaudible] had a clear definition as to what constitutes a viable palestinian state? >> we share the goal of the palestinian authority that there needs to be a palestinian state and the borders of that state need to be viable. that has been our position, but that's why we're encouraging the parties to resume negotiations because after the negotiation, you cannot get, you know, to a viable state would recognize international borders. it is only one way to do this and this is through the direct negotiation may continue to encourage both sides to resume as soon as possible. >> but after 19 years of direct negotiations, you must have -- he must have a picture of what is viability should look like. >> well, there's been a lot of work done here. i think we have a broad understanding of what this might look like, but ultimately this is by the two sides have to sit down into a negotiation. palestinians have their views. the israelis have their views. the united states and others we've done a lot of work on this. there have been negotiations in the past that enable us -- will inform the negotiations should we get parties back together again. you know, through this negotiation, that's how you got it to a viable palestinian state. if there are no negotiations, them or not going to see a palestinian state emerge. >> one last question related -- can i just had one last on this? >> all right. all right. i tried. >> in the state of hebron, which is home to 220,000 palestinians and 600 settlers, there is an area called the martyr streak, but is completely closed to palestinians. are you or the situation like this? is this something you had raised the israeli government to sort of relate the hardship of the palestinians and hebron? >> that's one of the reasons why we have been the strong supporters of building institutions of the palestinian authority. and through this institutions and web dramatic changes on the ground that are occurring, you know, we can see the israelis, you know, adaptive posture. we continue to talk to, you know, both sides about how to improve the situation on the ground as one means among several of continuing to build the necessary public support, you know, so readers can have confidence that they can enter a negotiations and have the proper, you know, political support through those negotiations and didn't get to an agreement. so we have conversations with the israelis and palestinians, both sides and how we can adapt the situation in the west bank. >> i just wonder, why do you feel strongly that you have, from this podium, you have to condemn the senior palestinian officials, concerned that on the israeli side you have foreign minister who publicly -- officially advocating the transfer of the palestinians, denied the right to exist, et cetera? i'm just wondering it a double standard here or what you think you have to condemn one side more than the other? or why is the language very important? >> well, tell you that there've been times where senior israeli officials have spoken in ways that do not reflect the policies of the government and the government has made clear that to disassociate itself from the statements. we have talked to palestinians about these words and we just felt that, you know, it was appropriate for us to make clear positioned. >> palestinians haven't disassociated themselves? >> all refer to the palestinians to describe how they feel. [inaudible] >> are you sure -- >> week -- >> do not reflect the palestinian authority position? or are you concerned that they do? >> we have talked to the palestinians that link on many occasions about the impact of controversial statements that we think have the potential to incite conflict with the region. >> at the same time, you don't see they are completely opposed in territory that you yourself say is disputed and earlier this year are calling for a freeze all construction? you don't see this as inflammatory? >> i mean, as i said, we have expressed -- not -- as i said, we have expressed our concerns with the israelis about this project. we've done so directly. we expect to have further conversations with them. and as we say, both sides have responsibilities here. we're in a period where we are looking for both sides to assume responsibility, create the necessary conditions that allow negotiations to resume. and both sides have these responsibilities to take them seriously. >> one side is in public and what is more concerned to be discussed in private. >> guys, if you go back a number of months, we have not hesitated to express their concerns publicly and privately about what is happening in east jerusalem. >> fair enough. can we go to wikileaks? that might be an easier subject. [laughter] >> this is a hobson's choice to be sure. >> actually, the one main question i have about this is what if anything has a state department done in the last week or so to prevent recurrence of wikileaks like this? have you started transmitting your cables, your correspondence, differently? >> well, there is an interagency review, both, you know, narrowly focused and more broadly focused as we come you know, talked about yesterday, there are, broadly speaking, you know, some policy issues that will have to be reviewed in light of what has happened so we can properly balance the need to know, the need to share. but the overriding need to protect classified information. we have made some internal adjustments to -- and are classified, you know, database that contains the state department documents. i'm not going to go into great detail from the podium, but to the extent that one of the issues raised here was this question of who should have access to state department documents across the government. we have made some adjustments and temporarily narrowed the access to these documents as we and others work through the implications of this leak and make sure that we have taken the appropriate steps so that we will not happen. >> when you mean narrowed, and human insider other agencies, or both? >> well, we have -- this is an interagency process. it's about the state department. we are revealing, you know, our internal controls because, you know, -- >> let me put it this way -- >> we want to make sure that our documents are adequately protected and that we have the ability to detect, if anything like this occurs in the future. but you know, i'm constrained in what i can say here because there is an ongoing investigation. to the extent that their are a number of networks that feed into this database, we have made some adjustments. and that has narrowed, you know, for the time being those who have access to state department cables across the government. >> okay, so it is correct that there are people now who, two weeks ago, had access to cables outside the government and now do not have it, is that correct? >> that is likely, yes. >> and it is also the case that there's some people and said the department who do not have access to these cables? >> inside the department -- i mean, i'm not sure that there's a change in access, but we have made -- we are going back over our internal procedures to make sure that, should some of them be at risk in the future, that we would be able to detect and stop it before it happens. >> is that correct that there are people outside this department, and other agencies that would've had access to materials to which they now to not have access to? can you not say yes there are people outside the department without access to now don't? and mean, if you can't say that -- >> began, i'm reluctant to get into great detail in this briefing. >> this is not great detail. >> the first of all, there is value in sharing information across the government to make sure that we have the benefit of the perspective of other agencies and they have the benefit of our perspective, you know, because we do have an integrated national security strategy. the state department works at the defense department, works closely with the national security staff. works closely with other agencies of government. so there is value in sharing. one of the issues that this incident has brought to light is the real question as to who and how many have the need to have this kind of access to a database that has a broad array of state department documents. we have -- we have temporarily, you know, severed the connection between this database of unclassified network. we've done so, you know, as this broad government review is ongoing, both for ourselves and others, you know, steps are being made to correct weaknesses in the system that has become evident because of this leak. and at the point where we believe the appropriate steps have been taken. then we'll reevaluate whether to reconnect this one network to the state department database. >> is that one network idea t. -- the charge sheet that has been released against mr. manning, specifically charges and gore accuses him of having gotten access to more than 150,000 state department cables? was that network the classified network? >> i don't want to say more. >> to know what it was? >> we've made these adjustments in the past. [inaudible] >> specifically with wikileaks, there are some leaked documents in their that has been referred to other's lifestyle, cinema, et cetera. do you know, as the secretary going to be addressing a with him, with any other leaders there? and also, how presumably, but other leaders how does complicate the trip? >> well come the timing is exquisite. look, she has had a number of conversations with her counterpart, you know, prior to the trip. i have no doubt that this issue will come up in the various interactions that she has, you know, within the osce meeting. we're not going to talk about specific classified documents. do you know, she will, reassure them in private, much as she did yesterday in public and commit that we will do everything we can to sustain the close cooperation and collaboration and engagement we have with a variety of countries around the world. you know, we're not going to let wikileaks undermine the global cooperation that is vitally important to resolving regional and global security challenges. >> one more on that. in the blogosphere very few people who are now saying the secretary should resign over wikileaks. and they're saying that only -- >> why would that be? >> well, i'm getting to that. one would be because the fact these are leaked, but importantly they are zeroing in on the united nations and not directive, which apparently came from the secretary, telling diplomats to collect -- >> again, let me be clear on that. i've touched on that another let me be as clear as i can. the secretary has said it, ambassador rice has said it. i have said it. diplomats are diplomats. that is their job. diplomats are not intelligence assets. i'm elected to talk about any particular document, but, you know, just because -- as i said, by tradition, any document that leaves the department of state has the secretary of state's name on it. she is responsible, but she was not the author of god particular document. and you know, the content of that came from outside the department of state. we are -- diplomats have a difficult job. it is useful for them to know, you know, what is of interest across the government. but this doesn't change the day-to-day duties of any diplomats anywhere. >> just one clarification. again, if you look at those -- the articles that are being written, it's been described as not only information, but it diametric data. in fact, one of the articles i read said dna. it was detailed as that. >> look, jill, their entities where their government government, that has certain responsibilities. it is one thing for that community to provide a wish list across the government that helps people understand what is useful it takes a leap of faith to say that fundamentally changes the day-to-day responsibilities of the diplomats. it doesn't. our diplomats are diplomats. our diplomats are not intelligence assets. they can collect information. they collect information that is useful. we shared across the government as we've been talking about with respect to documents generated by the department of state. but please do not infer from one document that this fundamentally changes the role. nothing has changed based on a document that has been issued through the department, you know, for a number of years. >> he said the contents of documents documents came from outside, did you say that? >> i did. >> what does that mean? >> again, i'm not going to talk about a particular document. look, guys -- guys, i've set on going to say about this. >> one more clarification. you mentioned a wish list. in other words, are you saying that asserted agency issued a wish list of what diplomats should collect and that those diplomats are free to do as much or as little as possible and collecting that information? >> diplomats are diplomats and their job is to interact with people, gather information, gain a perspective of events around the world and report those findings in a way that helps inform our policies and inform our actions. they are not intelligence assets. it can be useful for a diplomat to understand from washington, you have a diplomat out anyplace in the world. hey, there are issues that are of particular interest to the united states government. you come across information that might be irrelevant to these issues, let us know. that is something the diplomats do every day. but one particular cable does not turn a diplomat into an intelligence asset. >> he said diplomats are diplomats. we talk about dna data, you want to know how many officials are flying and they've created details. can you release that knowledge after 9/11 they blurred the lines -- >> no, i will specifically reject that idea. nothing in the role of a diplomat at the state department changed because of any one document for any one event. what we do here at the state department, we've done at the same way for a number of years. and our role in helping to formulate and execute the foreign policy of the united states did not change on 9/11. >> on a dna basis, nothing changed? >> again, nothing in any document that is allegedly in the tranche of wikileaks or the accession of wikileaks changed the role of any diplomats anywhere in the world. [inaudible] describe them as wet? >> this information was stolen? >> while -- at the information -- the passing of classified information to someone to have it is a crime. >> my question is, why shouldn't mr. assange be pursued as a burglar, as a bandit? you issue an arrest warrant and say he burglarized and we bring him to task? >> the attorney general said yesterday, there is an ongoing investigation regarding anyone who has been potentially implicated by the situation. >> just to be clear, the clarity that were taken about someone who is neither a u.s. citizen or u.s. resident, what are the legal ramifications of that? >> again, i'll defer to department of justice. >> if i could just bring a mother point, that the previous administration found a way to do with non-us residents who would consider to be connecting crimes. it was called guantánamo. i mean, if any action going to be taken that could involve the type of extralegal process? >> no. >> wait, hold on. are you except in the between something -- >> no, no, no. the question proposed to me was this administration complementing any extrajudicial action to resolve the situation? and the answer is no. >> and it would not in any case -- >> and income each assassinate question i responded to it. now he's got another question, i'll be happy to respond to it. stearic again, wikileaks. a specific country, turkey, that it was not on your list of announcements, but today almost every single nationwide turkish newspaper had headlines about wikileaks and how it goes to touch prime ministers and ministers and all that. and turkish foreign minister actually yesterday was in washington and refer wikileaks of a dual language of another country, these are called. and he openly referred to the united states. my question is could you please walk us through how the u.s. -- the united states is going to be able to overcome this huge leaks -- this huge scandal and how we are going to reset again relations and countries like turkey? now the people of turkey even that much more questions than a couple days before. >> well, but any -- but the start of coming back to a point made earlier. there are rules that diplomats play in the world. it is the responsibility of our diplomats stationed around the world to interact with governments, to interact with civil society, to analyze defense in various countries and report to the state department and to other agencies as part of the formulation and execution of the foreign policy of the united states. diplomats of other countries to the very same thing. fundamental to the system of cooperation among countries and interaction among countries is trust and confidentiality. i think first and foremost, everyone understands who is responsible for the release of these documents. it is an individual within the united states government who is under investigation. and more broadly, it is the wikileaks organization that is chosen to release these documents to others who are not authorized to have them. so you know, we recognize that there is -- this is a serious situation. we're going to do everything possible to minimize the impact of this. we are committed to continuing to engage countries around the world, whether it's turkey, other countries. our relationships are still guided by national interest and mutual interests. our relationships are guided by mutual respect and to the extent that the trust inherent in this engagement has been compromised. we will work as hard as we can to rebuild distressed. >> you mentioned trust and confidentiality. and it looks like both of the principles of diplomacy, if i may, have been damaged fundamentally have been damaged. so basically your principles have been damaged, and raskin are you going to able -- do you have any concrete -- >> well, if i can beg to differ. again, you know, i'm not going to comment on any particular cable. but if you look at what has emerged, you see a handful of things. first you see the broad sweep of united states foreign policy. you see the commitment of the united states working collaboratively with other countries to try to resolve the urgent issues of the world that impact our people and impact other people around the world. you see diplomats, records of diplomats who are doing the hard work of diplomacy and are committed to advance our interests and the interest of the world at large, consistent with laws consistent with our values. we are proud of the work done here at the department of state. we are proud of the work done higher diplomats around the world. they're not going to change what we do, you know, because of this. but we are committed to, as they talked about earlier, we will learn from what has happened here. we will do whatever we have to do to protect confidential information. that is essential to the functioning of any organization, whether it's a government or a private entity. all governments, all entities have secrets. they have proprietary information that is vitally important to their functioning. ours has been compromised. we are going to aggressively investigate that and we will hold accountable those responsible. doesn't change the relationships we have with individual countries. we're committed to engage. we're committed to the friendships and alliances that we have. we'll continue to work with countries around the world on, you know, shared challenges. and that will be the message that secretary clinton delivers to world leaders at the usc. the show. >> on iran -- >> hold on, one more. >> have you sum up his character and motives? >> well, i believe he has been described as an anarchist. his actions seem to substantiate that. >> iran has agreed to come to the p-5+1, and would argue bringing to this meeting? >> well, i don't want to get ahead if lady ashton. i believe there will be a statement out of the e.u. and will be for comments until that announcement. >> have you agreed on geneva as a place of meeting? >> i anticipate there'll be an announcement very sent from the e.u. and then we'll be happy to talk about it. >> if there is going to be a meeting, is that correct secretary burns would be the one to go? >> the last time someone got together last year with iranian officials under secretary burns as our representatives. .. the people of egypt want to see broad participation in their political process. it is up to that the egyptian government to meet the need to meet the desires of the egyptian people. we will, as part of our ongoing dialogue with egypt, continue where we feel appropriate to express our concerns about these kind of developments. we have recently in the discussion between victory clinton and foreign minister and we will continue to raise concerns where appropriate. >> speak to the government of egypt? >> we have a commitment to a partnership with egypt. these are not either or circumstances or relationship with egypt as multifaceted, but as use all of yesterday's statement we will not hesitate to tell egypt as a friend where we think their actions have fallen short of international standards. spearman but the initial results shows that almost all the positions lost all seats apart early many become a denney including the muslim brotherhood. do you worry about them not being represented in the government that might lead them to now become underground or to move in violent path? >> we have a detailed statement that describes our concerns about the election. we'll continue to raise these concerns with the government of egypt. >> why did it take so long to get the statement out, 9:00 was light coming and you were working on a flight -- i mean there was -- >> i hear you. [laughter] >> are you concerned that muslim brotherhood lost the elections? >> i just said that. >> try again? bimmer are you concerned -- >> i just answered that question. >> can you confirm the meeting in washington next week between japan and south triet? >> stay tuned. we'll have more to say about the probably tomorrow. >> there is a report in "the new york times" regarding some deals they were trying to be made to find homes for the gitmo detainees. as it seems to be, that by september of last year, there was still no solution for the yemeni detainee problem and that closing guantanamo bay by a the january deadline was pretty much of the table. can you comment on that? >> i'm not going to comment on what's been in the paper. we are committed to close in guantanamo, and we continue to engage in men and other countries about the detainee's who are still at guantanamo who we believe qualify for return of the settlement. >> thank you. recovery quickly. we have a report out of kabul which says officials including the president and his brother are involved in authorizing and requesting the release of the increase in the taliban fighters and it says that the effect of these kind of releases which are sometimes done for political reasons and sometimes for money raises questions about the government's seriousness about fighting against the insurgency. do you have any comment on that? >> i will take the question. >> forgive me if this was asked while i was out, but a senior ecuadorian government officials, foreign ministry official has talked about offering residencies to julian assange. do you think that's -- the founder of wikileaks. is that a good idea? >> no. >> have you raised that with the ecuadorean? >> i don't know the the comments of one individual in ecuador necessarily represent the views of that government. >> thank you. phone usage. this meeting is about one hour and 40 minutes. >> good morning everyone and welcome to the november 2010 meeting of the federal communications commission. madam secretary. would you please introduce the agenda this morning. >> thank you mr. chairman, good morning to you and commissioners. today's agenda includes three items for consideration and one. first he will consider a notice of proposed rulemaking seeking comment on rules to facilitate the most efficient use of the uhc tvd and. these proposals and important steps toward the agency spectrum goals as outlined in the national broadband plan would take steps to enable mobile broadband use currently reserved for use by tv broadcasters including through innovations such as channel sharing and generating increased value. second you will consider a notice of proposed rulemaking seeking comment on steps to promote innovation and efficiency in spectrum he was under part five experimental radio service. for your freedom he will consider a notice of inquiry seeking comment on promoting more intensive and efficient use of the radio spectrum, thereby potentially enabling more management through dynamic spectrum technology. last on your agenda, the consumer and government affairs bureau will present an overview of the 21st century communications and the deal accessibility act, and the commission's implementation plan and demonstrate accessibility technology. this is your agenda for today. all three items will be presented by the office of engineering and technology, julius chief of the office will give the introduction. >> thank you. congratulations on your touch work today. >> good morning mr. chairman and commissioners. we will be presenting three items for consideration today each of which serve to the commission spectrum goals and as a result of boosted the economy in jobs. the first item is a notice of proposed rulemaking that would leave the groundwork for improving efficiencies in the spectrum currently used for tv broadcasting to make more spectrum available for wireless products and services. here at the table is the deputy chief of oetc, bill flake, the chair of the mass media along with the associate chief of the bureau, and barbara, chief of the didier division. the item will be presented by allen, but before turning the floor over i would like to extend thanks to the people who have worked on this item, for the media bureau, bill flake, barbara and rebecca hansen, john major, rob and gordon got free. from the wireless telecommunications bureau, ruth, john leibovitz and brought. from the office of general counsel, alston, david horowitz and bill share, and aside from alan nurse camano and nancy brooks. allen will present the item. >> good morning mr. chairman and commissioners. >> the notice of proposed rulemaking before you would initiate a process to further the commission's ongoing commitment to addressing america's growing demand for wireless broadband services, to spur innovation and investment in wireless broadband systems, and ensure that america leads the global wireless revolution. the notice would take preliminary steps towards making additional spectrum available for wireless broadband a portion of the spectrum that is currently used for broadcast television. at the same time, the notice recognizes the important benefits served by broadcast television and takes an approach the would help preserve that service has a healthy viable media. the notice proposes three actions intended to set the underlining a regulatory framework to accommodate wireless broadband uses of the tv dance. the proposals of the notice of adopted will also provide new options for broadcasters. first, the notice proposes to add new allocations or fixed and land global services and the tv dance to become primary with the existing broadcast applications. this proposal would make all of the spectrum in the tv bands for broadcast use and thereby provide the maximum flexibility for the commission's planning efforts including the possibility of auctioning a portion of the spectrum for new broadband services in the future. second, this notice proposes to establish a framework of rules that would permit two or more television stations to share a single 6 megahertz channel that is to operate from the same transmission facilities on the same channel. it thereby freeing up one or more of the original channels for use by wireless broadband services. under this framework, stations entering into the channel sharing arrangements would retain their lights to mandatory carriage on cable and dbs systems. the proposed sharing rules would neither increase nor decrease the carriage rights of any broadcaster on any type of multiple video distribution system. finally, the noticed proposes to create value for television viewers and broadcasters by increasing the utility of the vhf for television services. the goal in this initiative is to result digital broadcast reception problems in the band's. the notice specifically proposes to increase the maximup were allowed for the bfh stations subject to avoidance of interference to other services and to establish minimum performance standards for the indoor antenna. these actions will leave the groundwork for the goals set in the national broadband plan to make available up to 120 megahertz from broadcast television ban for a new lawyer list broadband service. it would pave the way for future actions by which the commission could propose plans for recovery of tv spectrum including service, licensing and auction rules for new wireless brought and operators. the staff recommends adoption in this item and requests editorial privileges. thank you. >> consistent with our goals of efficiency and presentation on an important topic. we will hear comments from the bench. commissioner copps. >> thank you, mr. chairman. i polis this notice with cautious optimism as we begin with the innovation and how to make the best use of the limited spectrum we have. dalia really need to act in a strong, for word manner to wireless broadband. there are a number of ways to help accomplish this but we are going to be called upon to think very creatively in order to make it a success. i think it is an item of contingency planning and that applies to the concept of channel sharing. the list a defection or the economic conditions will offer implementation of a full range of spectrum recommendations put forth in the national broadband plan but we do know that we need to be smarter about spectrum utilization in that we need to maximize the spectrum performance so it may better serve the communications needs of the american people. i am of course interested in the future of broadcasting. at the outset i commend the notice recommend recommendation that free to all over the air television can bring to america's citizens. many broadcasters have worked hard to turn this volume into reality. i believe in the power of broadcasting and the potential for broadcasters only to survive, but to thrive if they will would recognize their strengths and the of vintages that localism and the public administration and the airwaves bring to them. it's an advantage that not all in fact not nearly enough broadcasters have pursued. it is no secret i have been disappointed so much of the spectrum dividend that of crude to broadcasters as a result of the dtv transition goes dramatically from the utilized. i'm not interested in pushing broadcasters somewhere else or in discouraging their enhanced stewart should of the airwaves. but public interest multitasking remains all too often a concept and not a reality. i speak only for myself and saying that had the spectrum but input to fall positive uses i discussed i would have little interest in contemplating other uses of it. but here we are trying to define how scarce and sometimes underutilized spectrum can serve consumers and citizens. between now and such time as the channel sharing and incentive options and all of us come our way may be more broadcasters will come to see the wisdom of harvesting benefits from the spectrum they a rise to use. one of the greatest challenges facing us as we work to widen the with the spectrum for wireless broadband and other use is to make sure we would have a comprehensive understanding of the current spectrum of landscape. surely the future success will depend of not only on the understanding of the current allocations and assignments but on its actual use. that's why i am so glad we continue to make progress on the spectrum-board which will require your ongoing commitment and resources to achieve its full potential. i know from my experience during the digital to the transition and changes in spectrum use can raise any issues. some unforeseen and that they require outreach to and work with both consumers and industry. consumers generally don't concern themselves much about the arcane details of spectrum allocation to nor should they have to but they do care that when they turn on a tv or make a call on the smart phone it works. so we must begin a balancing act weighing up the needs and the requirements of today and tomorrow. i am pleased we have some difficult questions on this notice. we need to understand the regulatory framework under which channel sharing would be allowed. the technical implications for broadcasters and the viewers and how any changes would affect the over the air broadcasting. we also abandon ways to improve td receptions to the vhf spectrum. the letcher will not be easy, believe me. we've looked everywhere we could under every rock and around every corner during of the transition, and remedies were few and far between. let's hope the months ahead lead us to some genuine innovation. we do seem to have a consensus that some considerable amount of spectrum will be required in the wireless world. without additional spectrum wireless consumers can face greater disservice and higher prices. this concerns me. but it also concerns me that without other safeguards, auction of massive amounts of spectrum to incumbent wireless providers may not necessarily result in more consumer friendly uprising or service. additional spectrum needs to be an important part of the wireless solutions, the whole solution it isn't. and i suppose that is the difference between physical spectrum and spectrum policy. so this is a good and mrs. free item we doherty in the questions that need to be answered and if there are questions we don't ask i hope the call mentors will answer them anyhow. we will all pay attention i guarantee that. thank you to julie map and the team of the office of engineering and technology for the job they did on a very complicated i come. their work continues to amaze me and thanks to the others who cooperated in bringing this to us. thank you. >> commissioner copps, thank you very much. commissioner mcdowell. >> the ongoing question to make the most productive use of the resources. the issue of the future uses within the television broadcast is only part of our overall policy focus on spectrum of issues but it may be the most prominent one. as we go forward in this proceeding i will remain mindful of the significant public interest benefits of broadcasters deliver. i also understand the need to ensure any new rules for allowing flexible use within tvd and must incumbent broadcast licensees with a viable opportunities to experiment with their own mix of wireless services including but not limited to traditional broadcasting. at the same time i would side with the prospect of exploring options for wireless products and services within the frequency devoted to over the air television. although the new districts much attention to the concept of voluntary channel sharing among broadcasters, i have not reached any conclusion as to whether that approach is the best possible option for getting the most out of the tv band. i would like my -- would like, enters to tell about the alternatives that may be used in lieu of or in conjunction with channel sharing. for example, broadcasters already are in power number section 336 of the communications act to offer a flexible range of ancillary or supplemental waterless services in addition to their primary broadcast program stream. i've been a longtime proponent of encouraging broadcasters to least some of their spectrum for wireless broad and purposes and now is the time to dig into this concept seriously. how would this approach work in the context of increasing availability of wireless broadband? what are the technical issues as well as the business feasibility issues. would this approach be a faster means of getting more spectrum for broadband into the marketplace than the channel sharing concept? what are the relative strengths and weaknesses of the plan for channel sharing come eventual spectrum clearing and repackaging versus the concept of the broadcasting and a broadband uses to be interwoven through the existing ban. i will also review with interest the revisions we receive on the topic of technical improvements for digital broadcasting on the vfh channels. as one of the two remaining butter and commissioners of the digital television tradition and sitting next to the director at the time i have not forgotten the difficult and an anticipated challenges week and broadcasters on the channels face at the time of the analog shut off. both industry and fcc engineers scrambled through the spring and summer of 2009 to try to overcome interference and other reception problems associated with vfh channels. what had been prime real estate in the days of analog broadcasting sometimes became a rough neighborhood in the new digital era. before the commission takes action that might lead to more broadcasters moving back into the channels i would want to fully understand the ramifications of such a decision. and i also thank the members of etc and everyone involved on this notice is terrific. thank you. >> thank you. commissioner clyburn. >> thank you. i strongly support efforts to encourage more efficient use of spectrum including broadcast spectrum so certain broadcasters are underutilizing the spectrum we have licensed to them, and for those to do so on a voluntary basis i am supportive of any recovery mechanism that would benefit the public interest. additionally of indorse actions that give all of our licensees more flexibility which will allow more innovation and competition that will ultimately benefit consumers. we also have, however, a significant obligation to protect the important public interest that over the air broadcast tv provides our nation. as we progress through this and other proceedings related to the national broadband plan, recommendations for reallocating 120 megahertz of broadband services we should carefully study the possible impact of removing broadcast spectrum could have on all consumers and local communities, but i cannot stress enough, we must pay close attention, careful attention, to those who are the most vulnerable to the loss of broad been a television. we learned during the dtv transition a large number of americans such as seniors and the poor continue to rely on broadcast tv tuesday informed. communities that heavily depend on broadcast programming should not have to sacrifice the benefits in order for the nation to obtain wireless broadband services. i encourage the staff to work with broadcasters and consumer advocates so that we arrive at a long-term solution that properly balances both of these important interests. i also wish to thank all of those who work so hard on this item. thank you mr. chairman. >> thank you. >> thinks mr. chairman. the proceeding is the beginning of a process to identify the best means to butterflies a respecter rules for the tv dance. this should be a collaborative process and we should not begin the and state or assumptions about particular future uses. mobile broadband providers and other innovators need the opportunity to craft rules that would serve the public interest and provide a robust future for broadcasting and broadband. i believe strongly we cannot look in today's technology or business plan for any spectrum users with their it be broadcast or broadband. central to the principle which aimed to provide a path for innovation and investment and i am hopeful we can achieve the balance in this proceeding and have focused on future opportunities necessarily requires all stakeholders to demonstrate a willingness to question the status quo and work cooperatively. we should start a free discussion of the van with the recognition it has only been a year and five months since both broadcasters completed the transition to digital. any successful transition of additional bands to mobile broadband should be a consensus driven process. to facilitate, we should encourage new technology and innovation in and more broadly more thinking about how broadcasters and broadband coexist. this takes a number of steps to optimize spectrum uses and provide broadcasters greater flexibility in how spectrum is used, a hallmark for our modern spectrum policy across bans. to that end, i support the commission's effort to add allocations for the mobile services in the bands. our overall flexible approaches evidence in effect the item does not specify future plans for the recovered spectrum. i also support proposals to improve operating conditions in the vfh ban as we all know, there are consequences for reception of the vfh signals as a result of the dtv transition. i accept this item presents an initial step in updating the tvd and rules. significant and fundamental issues are deferred. in the future the needs to be a discussion on additional proposals to address sharing of broadband and broadcast in the tv than including the possibility of a transition from mpeg 2 to mpeg 4 or a transition from atv to the technology. these are low means the only potential and the have their own weaknesses and strengths. and in all fairness, we should also ask additional questions about the future flexibility of public interest obligations on broadcast licensees. if the tv bands are to a shift towards a more flexible spectrum model it is only right to ask whether those used restrictions should also be revisited. we should also acknowledge that we need to partner with and have to have a good relationship with congress to give us the tools that are potential and necessary to effectuate a policy decisions and in particular i am hopeful congress will provide the commission with the authority to conduct incentive options as well as other tools to manage spectrum more effectively. the tools to help the commission offered when win situations to incumbent and new users of spectrum. importantly, these are not tools nor an approach that should be limited to the tv dance. indeed it is critical we stress this proceeding is part of a much broader overreaching come across governmental spectrum report -- spectrum reform effort to ensure the nation's long-term competitiveness and bright future for the spectrum hungry mob broadband services. it has to consider the use of the tv dance we should also work to avoid the mistakes of the past or the practical interactive publications and one day and had a ripple effect across other users or inhibited future efforts. and the band these challenges caused by wireless microphones are the ones most discussed. the issue surrounding the tv channel 51 weren't greater focus. channel 51 is adjacent to the low were blocked in the 700 megahertz. the presence of high-power broadcast operations in many communities may foreclose the opportunity to build out a broadband offering in 700 megahertz. appreciate that we ask questions directly about that issue. pour generally we see comment on how to best avoid such situations particularly as it relates to channel 37 and the uppermost channel dedicated to for the year broadcasting. if we view that he began this and will see more comprehensively we can avoid some of the pitfalls going forward. we also cannot ignore the unintended consequences of our prior actions. we need to address existing impediments to investments like the channel 51 issue and an equitable and expedited manner. i look forward to addressing all of these challenges with my fellow commissioners. many thanks to all the staff who worked hard over thanksgiving. thank you. >> thank you, commissioner baker. this item is the first of three the commission is considering today that will help meet our nation's need for cutting edge wireless services and technologies in the 21st century helping spur our economy and create jobs. one way to think of spectrum is as invisible infrastructure. there you can't see it, spectrum is the backbone of our mobile communications infrastructure and the central to one of the most robust and promising sectors of our economy. we are at an inflection point with our invisible infrastructure. the explosive growth in mobile communications threatens to outpace the infrastructure on which it relies. i said this before, but it bares repeating and emphasis. if we don't act to update our spectrum policies for the 21st century, we are going to run into a wall, a spectrum crunch that will stifle american innovation and economic growth and cost us the opportunity to lead the world in mobile communication. the spectrum crunch also threatens to create millions of dissatisfied mobile consumers who, if we don't tackle this challenge, will be forced to choose between a poor service and higher prices. drop mobile internet connections for to be any less frustrating than dropped calls. as we of land in the national broadband plan and more recently in our sec spectrum we have a two-pronged pram delete to plan for the supply and demand. first we will pursue policies to drive the most efficient and flexible use of spectrum. second, we will seek to bring market forces to the bands of spectrum where markets currently aren't given the opportunity to work. this item advances both goals. it starts what i hope will become a landmark rulemakings to bring efficiency to the use of our tv broadcast spectrum, and it plays a central groundwork for market-based policies in the form of voluntary incentive options which are strongly hope congress authorizes in the near future. the roughly 300 megahertz of spectrum and the tvd and this is among the most robust available. some people call with beachfront property. the transition to digital, made it possible to trends and over the air broadcast program use in less than before. while some stations are seizing the opportunity to offer a multi the court: stream or e the public interest and i s are not. >> many of the box caro permit certain types of efe channel sharing to stick wo which i am indebted in the broadcast allocation adjustments to the power aa wheelie important groundwoy incentive options in the b. >> enhance global competitiveneo improve service for consumers id significant revenue for the treo broadcasters, providing additioe first step to set the stage for incentive options is perhaps reminiscent of an action taken more than 20 years ago the commission when the fcc started a process to provide for digital television. while it was and had planned a news at the time but ultimately rise to the emergence of the new generation of tv technology and freed more than 100 megahertz of spectrum is about to usher in fourth generation or wireless services and technology and new broadband services for public safety. we know it won't be easy to free spectrum for mobile broadband fm the existing tvd and. meter with the process that ledo the transition of the over resulting spectrum, yet it is at least as necessary as the proces that began more than 20 years ao and because how fast our global competitors are moving it is essential we move rapidly. thank julie and everyone who participated in the presentation and the development of this item at the wireless bureau, the meda bureau, a great example of how e can achieve a great product and important area by close collaboration among bureaus and process these and i thank each f my commissioners of my colleagues for working closely together on this item. with that the proceeding to the vote at this point. unless there is more discussion all of those in favor, say aya. all of those opposed say nay. the ayes have it. editorial privileges granted. thank you. madam secretary, please announced the next item on the agenda. >> mr. chairman and commissioners, the second and third on your agenda will be presented together. item two on the agenda is entitled promoting expanded opportunities for retial experimentation and market studies under part v of the commission rules as streamlining of the related rules. in 2006 by annual review of the telecommunications regulation. item three on your agenda is entitled promoting more efficient use of spectrum through dynamic spectrum use technologies and the wireless telecommunications bureau would join the office of engineering and technology and presenting this item. >> thank you. mr. knapp, you have the floor again. >> it's my pleasure to present for your consideration to items to spur investment in wireless technology to aid the economy. i encourage research and development of new products and services and by finding ways to increase access to our scarce spectrum resources. the first item is the notice of proposed rulemaking that proposes an overhaul of our experimental licensing program to make it easier for places such as universities, research institutions, health care institutions and other organizations to develop and study mou one phyllis technologies. the second item is the notice of inquiry on dynamic spectrum access which was prepared jointly with the wireless communications bureau. the item seeks to create value from spectrum much of the time by opening and up to services and devices that use an unexpected access techniques. the item also explore how we might modify or secondary market rules to further encourage development and use of services based on how dynamic spectrum access. the two items will be presented by the deputy chief of etc also hear the table was wroth, the chief of the wireless telecommunications bureau and paul murray, assistant bureau chief. before presenting the item, allow me to take a moment to thank the people who helped prepare these items. as i was looking at the list i was reminded we get by with a little help from our friends, in our case we get by with a lot of help from our friends. for the experimental item, from the wireless bureau, roof, paul murray, roger noel and tom earnings and garrey michaels. from the media bureau, john long, susan crawford, gordon gough africom kevin harding and she and brad shaw. from the general counsel's office, david horowitz and steve space. from the office of strategic planning and chief technology, doug, and from noel come in addition to ira, bruce, nicholas orris, jim, anthony, doug young, and nancy brooks. i still have moraes. further dynamic spectrum item, from the wireless bureau, ruth mulken, paul murray, gary michaels and mary booker. from the office of strategic planning, doug and stuart benjamin, and from oet, ira, bruce camano, jerry, rot small and nicholas. i will now present. >> good morning, mr. chairman and commissioners. we have two items before you that will promote and facilitate innovation and communications technology. a notice of proposed rulemaking that seeks to promote this innovation by updating of the commission's experimental radio service rules and a notice of inquiry that examines how advanced radio technologies and new models of spectrum management techniques can advance innovation to increase and use and stretched the capacity of the valuable spectrum resource. many innovative ideas that have found widespread use by the public and all sectors of the economy can be traced back to ideas and inspiration developed under experimental radio licenses. it signals include the development of wi-fi and the technology found in today's 3g systems as well as the lte technology power in the latest high-tech devices. the experiment already the service has also been instrumental in fostering development in cutting its medical devices, such as in a plant tour and devices and the camera and a bill that allows physicians to mom and evasively and painlessly examine high-resolution images of internal organs. to ensure the united states remains at the forefront of innovations we now propose to accelerate the rate at which these ideas transformed from prototypes to consumer devices and services by providing more flexibility to researchers and developers. under our existing rules, such experimental programs must be described and approved by the commission and if the researchers make discoveries that necessitate changes and operating authority they must seek prior approval for modification of the licence. we now propose to create a new type of experimental license, the program license. these licenses would provide broad authority for experimentation over a wide variety of frequency and range of operating parameters without the need to obtain prior authorization before conducting individual experiments. specifically, we propose to create the three types of program licenses. the first would be available to universities and national laboratories so that they can leverage their vast resources and expertise and basic research to bring about an ovation. second, we propose to create an innovation program license where researchers could conduct tests and specified geographical locations with pre-authorized down conditions. further, we propose to create a medical program license the would be available to qualified hospitals, veterans administration facilities and other medical institutions to foster and feeds men's and technologies that can improve patient care and save lives. we also propose to broad opportunities for market trials to provide greater opportunities for equipment manufacturers and service providers to conduct product development and market trials. the proposed rules will allow market trials to fully engage consumers so developers can better meet their needs. the notice proposes to promote greater overall experimentation by consolidating, streamlining and making target modifications to existing rules and procedures. collectively the changes in the notice will spark innovation and promote growth must experimentation. additionally, we believe the proposals for the experimental r. dee the service will provide new opportunities for innovators to examine ways time and expect from access technologies, including cognitive for opportunistic radio technologies can help address the challenge posed by the looming spectrum crunch by enabling more efficient usage of the precious spectrum resource. we'll explore these letcher themes in greater detail in the notice of inquiry which seeks to promote and facilitate wireless innovation specifically the increased on ways to man expect from a access radios and techniques can promote more intensive efficient use of spectrum. it seeks information on the development of spectrum and other dynamic spectrum sharing capabilities and techniques that can identify temporarily on used spectrum. the inquiry also requests information on how the commission can promote the development of these technologies such as establishing dynamic access radio. the court: beds and hs and spectrum management tee deployed in the future fora licensed and unlicensed ba. additionally, the inquiry to examine whether the database access. >> for example, spectrum use of the flexible joost licenses held by the commission because licenses did not receive the necessary bids at auction and was returned bands in the rural areas or other like we used bands. the inquiry also asks the spectrum monitoring could be used to identify dynamics spectrum use. further, the increased seeks comment on spectrum used to a secondary market arrangement could employ spectrum techniques to incentivize efficient spectrum use. we note that licensees and spectrum classes already have wide latitude to enter these types of arrangements and ask whether further improvements are made in spectrum access technologies and techniques there are additional steps the commission should take to facilitate dynamic spectrum we see or private, and arrangements. finally, the inquiry asks whether there are additional steps the commission should take to improve on line spectrum-board to facilitate use of spectrum through dynamic spectrum access technologies. we believe the proposed rule changes as well as the result of the inquiry will result in advancement of device and service is available to the american public and lead greater spectrum efficiency over the long term thereby promoting economic growth, jobs, global competitiveness and new and improved service for all americans. the office recommends adoption of the notice of proposed rulemaking and the notice of inquiry and we request editorial privileges. thank you. >> thank you for a much. commissioner copps? >> thank you. today's meeting is all about maximizing the power and the opportunity and the efficiency of the public spectrum resources and the demand for spectrum as we have said it has never been greater and we know that the laws of physics present us from being able to create more of this finite resource. that said even as we look to free of existing spectrum to meet the needs for the wireless broadband, we can and should explore ways to make more dynamic and opportunistic use of the spectrum that we have. given the technology breakthroughs, i have been privileged to witness over nearly a decade here the commission. i am a strong believer in the creative power of spectrum engineers and innovators, both inside and outside the embassy. to help us use our spectrum resource more intensively and efficiently. we need to hear from these experts as we move forward without notice of inquiry became sure we have a complete picture of the dynamic spectrum access tools available and doing what we can to encourage the the filament and use. we also propose today much-needed improvements to our system for spectrum experimentation and the support of this of proposed rulemaking. many of you have heard my not infrequent exhortations on the need to do more to encourage research and development in this country in order to ensure america is going forward with global competitiveness. today we make some concrete proposals to the advance on that front. we propose to broaden experimental research authorizations for qualified academic and research institutions to afford them greater opportunities to design and implement experiments without the burdens of getting pre-approval each and every time. in a similar vein, they seek to create imitation for experimentation that would allow innovators flexibility to conduct and modify their experiment. nowhere is a potential for our ostentation more exciting than the area of promoting advance in health care technology. the mobility to paralyze lines are creating advanced bodies of networks. we therefore propose to create a medical the experimental program for hospitals and other health care institutions supervised in conjunction with the u.s. food and drug administration. over the years our experimental review service program has been a tool and innovators used to. the court: new excitif which are not taken for gr. the rules proposed today look to build upon that one additional comment mentioned the utilization of the secondary markets techniques or procedures here and i look forward to a record on that and i would hope that as part of that we would compile the record we have here and just to see overall i would like to have a feel for how the secondary markets have served the goals we have here the commission to what extent they are leading the potential we believe they have and i think as we design the future we need to understand exactly where we are with regard to the procedures be put in place some years ago. thank you, again to the excellent team, and ruth you mentioned innovations and we have our innovations right here at the fcc and we are proud of that so i look forward to working with you and all of my distinguished colleagues to bring these proceedings to a sound and expeditious proceeding because we can benefit from such actions and regain competitiveness and that translates into jobs in the global economy. thank you. >> thank you very much. commissioner mcdowell. >> i'm delighted to support these today and i do want to thank the teams at the oet and the people at the table today. we know that none of this would be possible without their dedication and talent and the work has been fantastic. the american wireless marketplace is dynamic and explosive. it is a world leader in innovation and competition and certainly offers one of the brightest rates of growth and opportunity in the american economy. given the context and pleased we are starting to do the heavy lifting today to undertake linker term spectrum planning. as always i look forward to working with chairman schakowsky and all of my colleagues to begin the process of more spectrums into the hands of american consumers. the notice of proposed rulemaking today seeks comments on new ideas to promote innovation and efficiency in the picture in use in our part 5x for mittal radio service rules. it's a wonderful example of success as evidenced by the variety of new technologies begun as experiments and subsequently deployed this valuable service relied upon by american consumers every day. these include personal communication service, communications and new life changing decisis just to name a few. of an overarching matter, and abu were updated rules will lead here to the commission's more recent flexible use policy. old-style command and control and prescriptive rules not only hampered creative entrepreneurs in the best position to understand and satisfy demand, because spectral efficiency as well. with respect to the notice of inquiry regarding ways to encourage dynamic spectrum use, i have long emphasized that spectrum efficiency and seeking new ideas for dynamic uses are crucial in light of the reality is shaping america's wireless future. when it comes to resolving the spectrum crunch issue in practical terms, even if we could identify 500 megahertz of quality spectrum to reallocate today, the better part of a decade would pass by before we could write proposed rules and began plans and analyze public comment, adopt rules, hold an auction, collect a proceed, clear the band and watch the carriers filled out and then turn on their networks for their customers. so in the meantime, helping innovators create and deploy new technology to enhance doherty efficient use of the airwaves has to be a top priority for all of us. while we sort through the complex issues associated with free in that spectrum for the longer term, i look forward to learning more about technology that will allow wireless providers to take better advantage of the immediate fix is already available in the marketplace. these include more robust to deployment of enhanced antenna systems, improved development testing and rule lot of creative technology such as cognizant radios and heightened consideration of the use of tinto cells. by the raiders a terrific article outlining these in the washington post. each of these options augment capacity and coverage which is especially important for the dutch and most immediate transmissions. we are at the very beginning of what will surely be a lengthy and complicated process. i look forward to giving these and other issues the careful and thoughtful consideration they deserve and i thank the chairman for bringing these issues today. >> commissioner clyburn. >> thank if promoting the policies put forth in these items. if our nation wants to compete more effectively, we must encourage greater research and development and more efficient spectrum use. such is not only necessary for the advancement of monumental innovations such as the internet and the world wide web, but it is also important to the success of individual businesses and our overall national economy. a white house study conducted in september to those in mind found research and development is one of the most important pillars in building a foundation for an economy that is to create jobs and job sustainable growth. all of the initiatives in the experimental license npr and encourage greater r&d which will enable individual entities to do more with their experimental authorizations, facilitate collaboration among industry and academics and streamline rules. the two initiatives i find particularly noteworthy are the research and medical program experimental radio licenses. universities and nonprofit research institutions have proven they deserve the enhanced experimental authorization, deduce oversight and streamlined application process the research program license would give. for example, using experimental licensees, research institutions have not only developed ultrafast one gigabit per second research and educational broadband networks, but have also demonstrated public service leadership by advocating we help those condemned his work networks to anchor institutions in low-income communities. this recommendation can lead to important short-term and long-term economic benefits. community connection projects are by their nature job intensive so connecting these research and education networks through low-income communities can lead to immediate job creation and investment opportunities. for instance, rutgers university reports that the global environment for network innovations project which involves 29 universities, has created hundreds of jobs in new jersey alone. the national broadband plan also explains how case western university, project to connect is ultrafast one gigabit network to homes, schools, libraries and museums and in a low-income community in cleveland, ohio, is creating jobs. this project is also leading to software development, for environmental efficiency, health and many of the rot locations. these are just a few of samples when we should do as much as we can as quickly as we can to encourage universities and research institutions to engage in more research development of communications technologies. designing the medical program experimental authorization to promote more facilities for new wireless medical devices to speed the development of important achievements in health care. i thank the food and john get a ministration and american society for health care engineering for collaborating on this initiative. the item encourages researchers and physicians to work with veterans facilities and military services only in the development of the new devices i am pleased to see. a wounded four years have made great sacrifice in our nation and we owe it to them to create an environment that can lead to faster medical breakthroughs and help them make the best of their return to civilian life. the medical program experimental license could also accelerate innovations in telemedicine to further and power those doctors and patients. advances in the video technology and medical brought banaa applications are allowing physicians to collaborate with colleagues across the globe in real time on difficult cases. for those suffering from long-term and chronic illnesses, the most patient monitoring offer greater mobility and independence. our agency should continue to promote technologies and policies that will give those in greatest need of medical care more flexibility in finding the right treatment for them. the scholarship in today's notice of inquiry on dynamic spectrum use technology also serves a proper message that we must encourage more efficient use of spectrum. the notice recognizes that to best advance the technologies, the commission must have a understanding of how the various parts of the spectrum are being used today. the items detailed technical questions to ensure that we have a comprehensive record of the latest developments and dynamic spectrum technologies and promoting flexible use policies such as leasing of license spectrum through the secondary market, the notice presents a cogent analysis of the possible techniques our policies already permit. i think doug, julieanna, one of my favorites hamandiyah thir technology evangelists in the office of engineering and technology, the office of general counsel, another favorite, and the wireless telecommunications bureau, again, another favorite, for their hard work on these items. thank you. >> thank you very much. commissioner maker. >> thanks, mr. chairman. everybody's my favorite, too. [laughter] this holiday season kicks off a new cycle of fundamental change in the wireless device market. consumers everywhere, especially in my house, are choosing new powerful smart phones. the reports by smart phone sales grew 96% from the third quarter last year and project smart phones accounting for 30% of overall mobile phone subscriptions by the fourth quarter of 2010 in the united states. more than tablets the views hundreds of times more data than even the most advanced smart phones may well be the stars of this year's giving season. in fact, yesterday's wall street journal cites a recent change wait research survey that found that 9% of holiday shoppers plan to buy and i had in the next 90 days. i've already got mine. i have little doubt that with the smart phone or tablets these devices will challenge networks as much as the would like their owners. i am convinced there are efforts to find additional spectrum to power these devices and all of those that are going to follow constitute only half the battle to meet the dramatically exploding needs of this country's wireless consumers. we also must promote greater innovation to help use the spectrum we have today and the spectrum that we allocate to mauro as efficiently as possible. the two items we are considering today are a good place to start, in fact, the innovation they will support me will provide the tools we will need to unlock the full potential in the tv broadcast bands. .. across the country by reducing the time will take to get new devices to market. have also contained the leadership and development of wireless technologies, applications and services. the spectrum assets is that they may need to be a key technological advance that can substantially improve the way spectrum is used for both commercial and noncommercial services. it is an area that the department of defense has shown great leadership and innovation over the years. however, it has proven difficult to apply the research and development in the area of dynamic spectrum assets to commercial radio systems. technical issues have been too complex and costs a bit too high. it is my hope that initially be an ally dynamic spectrum access, we can focus our collective attention on what it will take to overcome these challenges. if we are successful, dynamic spectrum, access technologies could be one of the go to tools operators can rely on to more efficiently manage their commercial spectrum resources. coupled with an indian spectrum dashboard and potentially other ways to get information available to spectrum -- to prospective users, dynamic spectrum access my post or secondary markets short-term or spot factoring transactions, which is another potentially useful way to manage congestion. so i join in thanking the army of people that worked on this. you guys are great. he did this in an innovative and rapid way and we are grateful to you. >> thank you, commissioner baker. i have to say those were as excellent a set of statements as i remember and i think to the team i would say that you brought up the enthusiastic geek in all of us. and also, the shared commitment that we have is each of the commissioners and staff, with respect to her fundamental responsibilities when it comes despite, recognizing how important that is, how important the opportunity is both on the economic side, on the house side and i couldn't be more appreciated of the work on this. and i particularly enjoyed the interactions of the team, as you know, as we've developed these items. we are a commission that is committed to a robust spectrum agenda. we've been working hard at this for quite some time. earlier this year, thanks to some of the people on the panel right now, we've unleashed spectro or covert spectrum are freed up spectrum of the 25 megahertz. we took an important step that i'm looking forward to concluding with respect to bringing additional flexibility to mobile satellite service spectrum, additional megahertz. we for the first time in 25 years freed up spectrum below five gigahertz for a mice used, launching a new platform for innovation that we hope will lead to new products and services, as significant as wi-fi, which is one of the innovations that came out of the last major increase release of unlicensed spectrum. what we've been calling super wi-fi, one of the applications that we expect to see coming from her newly released white space spectrum has been helped and accelerated by fcc experimental license. so let me address the first of the two items that she presented. wi-fi, super wi-fi, new potentially life-saving anti-coalition system and cars. you may have seen the tv ads. this technology requires spectrum and it was developed using an fcc experimental license. preferred that experimental licenses have also played an essential role in the development of life-saving medical devices. i'm very pleased that today we take concrete steps to improve and expand our experimental licensing program. we're proposing, for example, to ease testing restrictions on universities, resource organizations and other institutions that are developing new services and devices to utilize spectrum. we propose innovations on licenses. we propose a new program to speed the development of new health-related devices that rely on spectrum. one of the most exciting areas for investment in innovation and for improving health care and health care costs. our goal is to accelerate innovation through experimental licensing to reduce the time for idea to get from the lab to the market. and more expensive experiment from the licensing program would also hope the fcc make smarter, faster decisions, particularly with interference issues, like giving up on the ground intelligence on interference questions and insights into the development of new cutting-edge technology. encouraging research and development is vital to our objective of making the u.s. the spawning ground globally for the great technological advances of tomorrow, past advances in technology such as cellular networks and digital transition techniques have led to vastly efficient vastly improved efficiency and effectiveness. consistent with their focus on maximizing efficient use of spectrum, were also beginning in inquiry on how we can export the technology fischer's spectrum dynamically. today's spectrum that is allocated to the title during time periods where they are not using the geographic locations. it doesn't make sense given the growing demand on spectrum. the goal for this proceeding is to be a vehicle for identifying steps we can take to unleash an accelerate new spectrum efficiency policies and technology. just an idea, for example, to jumpstart farkas for dynamic spectrum access. femto cells has been mentioned. he's bob spectrum sales and transaction. i'm interested how we can encourage spectrum is, building on our integrated spectrum dashboard and concretely facilitating opportunistic spectrum uses with him for starting to call auxiliary spectrum uses. historically, the u.s. has let the world inspect term policy innovation. auctions are one example. auctions of licensed spectrum and release of unlicensed part time. those are two key examples of groundbreaking spectrum policy innovation that was developed and implemented in the united states. i believe incentive options vary your major spectrum policy of innovation. and i'd like to set a goal for this proceeding that it lead to yet another historically significant spectrum policy innovation. i'd like to call for broad participation in helping us meet that goal. from all the stakeholders who have an interest in seeing that succeeds, traditional innovators who have participated in our processes, but also a new generation of innovators who are looking up spectrum for the first time as a platform for the next generation of innovative technologies, consumer products, medical products, consumer products, et cetera. i don't assume that the models and policies used today are those that will make the most sense tomorrow, especially given the rapidly evolving technologies, both involving dynamic information-based market and involving spectrum devices. the opportunities not only for development of new spectrum efficient policies, as important as that is, but also for us to help spur the development of new spectrum efficient technologies and products. which we would like to see developed, perfect dad, launched here in the united states in the next to the rest of the world. the spectrum proceedings today are also vital parts of ensuring that the u.s. leads the world of mobile and the 21st century, putting economic growth, job creation in our global competitor. julie, you mentioned as you are reciting the names of the people who participated and helped develop these items, that was done with a little bit of help from our friends. yes, the deals are in itunes, now available on the ipod overall purchasing and other tablets as well. but i do want to thank all of his staff who have worked on this from the wireless 080180 gc and everyone else, others have mentioned doug sicker. i don't know if doug is in the room. doug is our relatively new cto. now for a few months. on travel, but fulfilling his role in exactly the way we would hope, coming in from the outside, spurring new thinking, being abridged to new engineers, other technologies outside the commission. so again, i'm enthusiastic, as we all are, about the direction launched by these proceedings and i look forward to working with my colleagues, to working with all of you, to turn these ideas into a major policy innovation for our country and seeing the next wave of innovative products for lying. so again, thank you. unless there is any more discussion, let's proceed to a vote on each of the items. we'll take two votes. on the first item, the experimental licensing item, all is in favor say aye. all the supposed coming may. the request for editorial privileges is granted. on the second item for opportunistic use, all those in favor say aye. all those opposed, say nay. aye has it. request for privileges granted. thank you very much. madam secretary? >> mr. chairman and commissioners, the final item on your agenda is a presentation with an overview of the 21st century communication to the video extensibility act, the implementation plan and a demonstration of accessibility technologies. >> good morning, mr. chairman and commissioners. today you're going to hear from the consumer and governmental affairs are up about a major new initiative, the 21st century to medications and video accessibility act takes historic steps to improve communications access for people with disabilities and the fcc has the major responsibility for implementing the fact. this fact will do more for the communications needs and the people with disabilities then and a lot since the 1996 amendments to the communications act. in addition to ensuring full by then accessible so accessibility gaps that were left by earlier disability laws. the national broadband plan recommended this kind of legislation and we are now implementing the recommendation. we are fortunate to have two national leaders in the field in the consumer. to lead this effort. great lie about disney chief of the disability rights office, housed in the consumer bureau. great began his career as an activist at gallaudet university, where he successfully led the student movement for a president. he has served as an attorney and dro for nearly a decade and we are very pleased that unlv that office. karen paul strauss, rejoin the commission earlier this year as deputy chief of the consumer and governmental affairs bureau, with a special focus on disability rights. she has been a leading national advocate in this field and literally wrote the book. it's a book titled the new civil right that chronicles the legal effort to provide better communications access for people with disabilities. trimble describe the acts requirements and the commission's implementation plans and then larry goldberg, who joins us from wbgh and boston. i want to thank everyone on the commission for the hard work they've already begun to implement this new law. in implementing the fact in any other work that we're doing on disability rights issued -- issues, we are joined by every other bureau in several offices of the fcc. we're grateful and very appreciative for their collaboration and work on these issues. and i'd like to turn too great to begin the presentation. >> thank you, chairman genachowski, commissioners and jewel. it is really a pleasure for me to appear here today and my new role as chief at the facility rights office. we can go ahead and begin the slides, thank you. twenty-first century act was passed by congress to update our nation's telecommunications protections for people with disabilities. this act followed a string of lies passed in the 1980s and 1990s. those laws were designed to ensure that telephone and television access -- excuse me, services would be acceptable to all americans with disabilities, but these were not able to keep up with the technological changes that our society has witnessed over the past decade. this new law contains groundbreaking protection to enable people with disabilities to access broadband, digital and mobile innovations. the emerging 21st century tech ologies, for which it is named. there are approximately 36 million and hard of hearing americans, 25 million would be shallots. in 2009 the study conducted by the sec revealed that people with disabilities are less likely to use internet-based communication. 65% of americans have broadband at home, but only 42% of americans with disabilities have the services. this gap is due in part to barriers that people with disabilities can find when using the internet. it is for this reason that the national broadband plan adopted by the commission in march of this year recommended that congress and the fcc modernize accessibility laws to keep pace with broadband technology. the new law enables us to fulfill this recommendation. [inaudible] >> -- for me to be here today to talk about the accessibility of legislation. for people with disabilities, broadband digital technologies can provide wonderful new opportunities for greater independence and social integration, but only if these innovations have designed to be successful. the 21st century act will provide tools that these people need to better participate and employment, education and civic life. it will also encourage innovation and competition across the communication and video programming industries as companies strive to compete for new market shares within the disability community. the act is divided into two titles. the first, which addresses communications access x expands upon section 255 of the communications act to make private services fully access. this improves voip offerings, electronic messaging and interoperable video conferencing. in addition, this section requires internet browsers on smartphones and other mobile devices such as those discussed earlier is this morning to be accessible by people who are poor and are visually impaired so that these persons can use devices to find online information, local services for news in the same way that sighted people can. manufacturers and service providers may fulfill this obligation to either integrated or external hardware or software solutions. it also approves smartphones and other mobile devices to be compatible with hearing aids. it also updates the relay services and requires all voip providers to contribute to telecommunications fund. in addition the new law authorizes funding to distribute telecommunications equipment people both and blind. the first time ever that federal policy has addressed the communication need of these individuals. finally, this a lot -- a lot this title gives the fcc to make sure that people with disabilities are able to use the next generation of 9-1-1 emergency services. title i also directs the commission to create a clearinghouse of accessible products and services. it directs us to improve the sec's complaint procedures as well, so that people with disabilities can bring their concerns to our attention more easily. we will also have to be submitting biannual reports to congress that report on are in compliance with the active accessibility of of new communication technologies. and every five years, the comptroller general of the report to congress on how well we have complied with and enforce this new life. title ii of the 21st century act breaks new ground to make it easier for people with disabilities to view video programming on television in the internet. first, the section directs the commission to adopt rules requiring video description of 50 hours of programming per week on each of the top four broadcast networks on the top five cable networks. this technology uses innovation to enable blind and visually impaired people to understand the visual elements of a program during the audio track. this title also requires that program shown on television with captions continue to include those captions when every shot on the internet. most importantly, title ii requires emergency information on television to be provided in a manner that is accessible to people who are blind and visually impaired. until now, emergency information embraced into regular scheduled television shows only appears in a crawl on the bottom of the tv screen, which of course blind people cannot read. these people ensure they have access to this critical information. title ii contains provisions to capture devices beyond standard television sets. video devices of all screens sizes, including computers and smartphones will not be required to display closed captions of achievable is again making use of the new technologies we talked about this morning. legislation also makes it easier for people who are or blind to use newer video devices as they are developed. for people if you're a mosque in of these devices have to include buttons, keys or icons to make it easier for users to use captions, to activate captions and for people who are blind or visually impaired, the actual make it possible to navigate the controls on their tvs and dvr's, including controls for changing channels, accessing video descriptions and exploring onscreen programming guides and menus. right now, these on-screen controls are virtually impossible to use without sight. in the short time since the law passage, the commission has sought feedback on the act provisions dealing with advanced communications services, curing and compatibility, national blind equipment distribution program and the two advisory committees that we must create to meet our obligations. the first of these committees is a video program and emergency access committee, which will address various requirements for captioning, video description and emergency access. the second is the emergency access advisory committee, which will work to ensure access to next-generation 9-1-1 services. the final slide show some of the statutes implementation deadlines. in 2011, will promulgate rules on the blind equipment distribution program, advanced medication services, hearing a cabal of good and various relay service modification. this will be followed in 2012 with rules requiring close captioning on certain internet programs and close captioning capability on video devices. finally, in 2013 primo issue several orders to make a medications can't video programming and emergency access on television more accessible to people who are blind and visually impaired. there is a lot to be done, but we are very energized the challenges ahead. the new law is unprecedented in its capacity to offer new communication tools that people with disabilities need to live independent, productive lives. we thank the various bureaus throughout the commission said it agreed to work on the rulemaking now before us and look forward to collaborating with consumers and industries to implement this new law. and now i present to you, larry goldberg, direct your paths wbgh's national center for accessible media in boston. paths wbgh's national center for accessible media in boston. and a wbgh have been for accessible media in boston. and wbgh have been leaders in programming technologies for the past several decades. larry will demonstrate these accessibility solutions that will become more widely available as a result of this landmark legislation. thank you. >> thank you, mr. chairman, commissioners, joel, sharing and great for sharing these technologies that are available today and will be promoted and required by the new act. most of us are the really familiar with close caption. video description is lesser-known, but equally essential service used by people with disabilities access to tv. video descriptions defined as recorded narration of key visual elements of a tv program or movie trying to fit into the gaps in dialogue and scripted to enable understanding and enjoyment of visual media by people who are blind or visually impaired here today video descriptions available in some movie theaters on dvds, online and on a very small number of television shows. here's a sample of video descriptions from wbgh's arthur. listen to the voice of the video. >> is just a silly comic work. just words and pictures. okay, here i go. macarthur takes a deep breath and hope since a comic. but the shutter he throws it into the air. >> and he's the good guy. >> powell grouse that the scary book. a strong brand comes through the window and a grotesque bony rise through the pages. he clutches sleeping arthur and his cause instant fan. his red eyes glow. >> cut that out. >> the bunny jumps back in the boat with her attorney and in a canyon. arthur >> as increasingly complex on media components -- just a moment -- begin to proliferate over the past decade, consumers who are blind or visually impaired begin to lose the ability to control the video environment. even the ability to change channels or no appropriate assigned. but the advantage he tv, the level of complexity increased even more. r&d projects in the u.s., u.k. and elsewhere began building prototypes to enable talking menus of on-screen controls and information, including electronic program guides. in england, the resulting technologies now available on the market. in the u.s., a grant from the department of education and a bold wbgh's international center for media to create the prototype using the open source of the tv platform. the following clip shows how a blind person can navigate an onscreen programming menu using audio prompts. >> watch tv, media library, manage recordings, schedule recordings, tv schedule, program guides, welcome to the program guide, currently a success it is 530 for who, wants to be a millionaire. to the gl news at 30:00. [inaudible] >> finally, web surfing via mobile devices is becoming increasingly common. tv and video viewing on mobile devices is also becoming more common, especially with recent launch of the mobile dtv standards and devices that support it. in terms of access to mobile media, both blackberry and apple support closed captions on their smartphones. here's the closed captions look like i'm an iphone. >> u.s. treasury secretary henry hoffman is meeting this week in washington d.c. with chinese officials to try to reduce tensions over trade. what happens could affect business that large and small, even 500 miles away in the health of west virginia. [inaudible conversations] >> it's the playoffs. sharon high versus focus. jericho and may be an pastime, but morris played with uniforms and equipment from somewhere else. >> thank you. those are a few of the technology is readily available today and to be deployed widely. >> excellent. thank you very much. i left comments in a minute. but if there is nothing further, i just want to make sure, commissioner copps, if you have any comment. >> is a great rapport is a group of people are obviously dedicated good and needed things happen. first of all, i want to congratulate greg in his new position. i'm thrilled that you are there. i'm thankful for everything you have already contributed to the commission i'm looking forward to the seller contributions you will make in the future, thanks to karen, one more time, for all the wealth of experience and creativity and commitment that she brings here to troll for his outstanding leadership of the bureau. you've really got a stellar team. i want to thank the chairman for his leadership here in this regard as it seems several of our meetings we have had items and reports -- proceedings of interest to the disabilities community is. and just given at that level of attention and visibility are we all ought to be grateful to your leadership on this. thanks to larry for his reports and for all of the creative and good things you're doing there. i really wanted to hear the end of the story that you showed at the beginning. this is congress and the commission really meeting the3 this is congress and the commission really meeting their with their responsibilities, making sure that the protections that were intended for all the previous generation are there for all of us in the digital age that wherein. it's an area where we can do so much good and create opportunity for people who really ask nothing more than a chance to be fully participating and productive members of our society. so you mention at the outset it's an historic act. it's historic opportunity. i think these have come together here now and i am thrilled to have you folks working. i'm thankful that congress has underlined the importance and given us a really substantive piece of legislation and also some timelines, which we can ignore if we wanted to, but we welcome i think some of those timelines, so that's great. working with the disabilities community say think has been one of the highlights of my years here at the fcc and i'm also happy to see it moving ahead aggressively at this period of time. thanks to one and all. >> thank you, commissioner copps. >> thank you, commissioner angela congratulations to greg as well. i look forward to working more closely with you. and mr. goldberg, thanks so much for that presentation. i was a very informative presentation overall. and on numerous occasions, i recognize the surest path to americans continued vitality, strength and vibrancy is to realizing and enabling contributions than full potential of all of its citizens. along with my colleagues, i've worked hard to encourage the commission to do all that it can to foster the development and deployment of communication systems that serve disabled americans and serve them all. thank you for introducing us to some of these amazing technologies that authority been created to assist people with their communication needs. i look forward to seeing more of those and learning more about them. in this field in particular, america has been a leader in producing such innovation. i look forward to working with the disabled community, with engineers, brilliant engineers. entrepreneurs, innovators and of course my colleagues, to ensure research and development continues to flourish in this arena as we implement the new act. i want to thank congress for passing that as well. as a thank you, mr. chairman. >> commissioner clybourn. >> i too would like to welcome gregory and i call you gregory because i'm not sure how to pronounce your last name. and thanks also to karen angelo for always informing and remaining enthusiastic about an area -- a particular area we should be enthusiastic about. as the opportunity to join my colleagues when the president signed this bill into law. and i thought i had a handle on exactly. stevie wonder was there, so is incredible and a whole host of things. i thought i had a grasp on it until larry gave this presentation about the potential, about how, you know, what could now act can mean for the enhancement of individuals in terms of entertainment and other information and vital strategic information and services. i am even more at just about the potential of what we have in store for our entire nation. and i'm literally almost moved with your potential. so thanks to all of you for your role in that and the best is yet to come. thank you. >> mr. baker. >> one of the benefits of being in my seeded psychotics of arty articulated very well both their thanks and how important a 21st century communications century communications and video accessibility act tears. the new standards that are set so americans with this bit is better take advantage of broadband, digital and mobile innovations is really meaningful it's really a much-needed step for americans and make sure that all americans can benefit from today's and tomorrow's innovations. so i look forward to seeing progress on implementation and i thank you very much for the excellent presentation. >> thank you very much. first of all, on behalf of the commission, larry goldberg, thank you for taking time to come and prepare and present the presentation. we appreciate your time and were grateful for it. what an extraordinary team we have working on these issues. joel, you presented the background of greg and karen. you didn't present your own. joel has a background with consumer reports and helping bring consumer reports online, making it -- drive in it towards. enjoy great and karen and the others who participated in this, we have really a model of what we've been trying to build in terms of sec teams to tackle these issues. and someone like ray bly about. and greg again, i congratulate on taking over the disabilities office. we have someone who has hands-on experience in this area and is almost a decade at the sec itself. and karen, we have one of -- if not the most prominent leaders and thinkers in the states. angelo, we have someone from the outside who was new to the commission and its processes who is bringing a new good to these. this is all extremely important. i'm very proud of this team and you have a lot of work to do as we vindicated. i do, commissioner copps, thank you for mentioning the disabilities has been and is a priority of all of us at this commission. i appreciate that. i want to acknowledge my father and inspiring land recognition of the needs and opportunities in this area. i want to acknowledge the work of congress in making these ideas, putting them into a landmark law. it was a bipartisan effort that included the following members of the house and senate. there were others with congressman markey and senator pryor, chairman waxman, represented turkmens and hodgman, chairman boucher kerry, representative stearns, senator and then. it was a -- an important effort that sets for us now a buyer at the commission that we are taking very seriously. the law means nothing unless we implement it. we have been working on it, karen come as he vindicated. first and the broadband plan. we made access by people with disabilities a priority and in fact discussed, supported and endorsed to the provisions that became law in the broadband plan. for moving on implementation. and let me just point out one reason why this is so important. one of the challenges in this space historically a man that the idea of making technologies accessible to people with disabilities has often come well after the development design go to market stage of a product. and when that happens, it's very difficult. it's very difficult for everyone involved. duval participated in meetings and it would be good at this type ologies had the feature that would make it accessible to millions of people who are disabled. the retrofitting will be expensive and will take a lot of time. and so it is so important about the energy in early focus of this team is that it increases the chances that our rules are worked with industry that can happen at a stage, where the cost to making technology accessible as is required is vastly reduced and so that we can altogether accomplish more faster. and so, that's why i'm so pleased with the presentation given today. i'm pleased that since the adoption of the law, we've issued several notices. and i know you've conducted many meanings, do a lot of outreach to move the ball. we'll be making an announcement very soon with respect to advisory committees that the latter requires. one is an advisory committee on access to many other video video programming. we have a lot of work to do to meet the deadlines in the accessible remain an ongoing priority. one because it's inherent important and too because of the value we command by moving quickly and engaging with innovators, manufacturers and others early in the rollout of new technology. this does not require a foe. i will simply thank everyone again very much on behalf of all of us on the commission. with that, you are free to go. i think were going to conclude the meeting. i have one announcement. please, go ahead. [inaudible] >> -- for the last six days and nights because our friend josh cinelli and his wife, hannah, became parents the day before thanksgiving and we joined in their joy and welcoming azriel child cinelli, who was born last wednesday. so is a wonderful thanksgiving there. and josh reports the answer is sleeping well and eating well and then josh and hannah spend most of their time just deliriously staring at this wonderful little boy that they have created. so we are very happy for him. >> i don't have an announcement, but thank you for the second. i have an opportunity to attend a global symposium for regulation map on the go. the only regret i have is that that prevented me from attending nehru. and i say that, but i'm not sure of my colleagues miss me because my colleague, commissioner copps did such a wonderful job with cherry and a joint boards and conferences. i want to publicly thank you for that. i heard you and at the meeting on time. it's going to be difficult for me to return as they're going to have that expectation they will get it. so seriously, i want to thank you for stepping and doing such a marvelous job. thank you. i appreciate it. >> thank you, commissioner clyburn. >> first of all, i did get to go to iraq. i was very pleased to do that. there is polycom since we have commissioner cliburn, you end sharon as well. i do want to thank commissioner copps and will you do in the joint board. mr. mcdowell, commissioner baker, commissioner mcdowell, your turn will come. but it's a very important part of what we do. federal state regulations are important. it does take a lot of work and i thank and acknowledge the three of you for doing that. and it's good to me to see the person in atlanta. let me take this moment to say goodbye to a very valuable member of our team who is leaving the commission phoebe yacht. if cbs here i know i've embarrassed her. you know, we all took a break last week to say thanks for the many things we all have to be grateful for. one of the things that i personally -- i know we're all very grateful for this to have had phoebe as a member of our fcc team. since last summer, cbs served as a senior adviser for broadband. she's one of the key architects of the national broadband plan, a model for strategic planning for a nation in the world. when we release the national broadband plan, we said that's when the real plan begins. and phoebe has banned them in person leaving the plan's implementation since its release, establishing an ambitious action agenda, managing its execution. cb, you've done an outstanding job, working not only with each of our bureaus and offices to drive initiatives like modernizing the rate and our rural health program, but also partners across government to ensure that the full panoply of recommendations in the plan get the attention and focus they deserve. we could not have made the progress we've made on broadband without phoebe. it's critical to have a key member of the broadband team stay on task february, drive implementation of the plan, working as a side with the bureaus and offices with my office and with each of our offices on the eighth floor. cb brought to the job a remarkable combination of skills, broad strategic thinking, effective management. cb, i know you'll thrive in your opinion is that your where you continue to work on education and other issues. we've all benefited great we premiere extraordinary talents and abilities. we've learned from her integrity, or teambuilding. we will miss you on behalf of about the commission, and thank you for your service and we wish you well. [applause] i know i speak on behalf of all commissioners and thanking phoebe. and let back on madam secretary, would you please announce the date of the next fcc meeting. >> the next fcc meeting will be tuesday, december 21, 2010. >> thank you. we are adjourned. [inaudible conversations] stimac

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