Transcripts For CSPAN Comcast-Time Warner Cable Merger 20140

CSPAN Comcast-Time Warner Cable Merger April 13, 2014

I do not see American Travel as some kind of a reward for Good Behavior have the cuban government. We are unlikely to see that. It is finally a gettough policy with the cuban government. If i may say, the fy 2014 languages clear about the purpose and authorizations of these programs as well as which agency should be in the lead for their implementation. We intend to follow the law and that case and transition some of those issues to the National Endowment for democracy. The larger policy debate here, but i want to come back to assuring you that we believe our implementation and passed with this program has been consistent, that these are not covert, these have been publicly notified a number of times. Thank you, senator. Administrator, do you conduct Internet Access programs in other countries in the world . We do. At the direction of specific language in the congressional do you have an idea how many of those are . Part of what we do everywhere around the world, and Internet Access is one component of is supporting Civil Society so that you have an open and inclusive approach to development in a number of different contexts. Because a society that can come together and share what its goals are is part of the information as to what is sustainable programs we might be able to support. I would like you to give the chair a list of all the Internet Access programs you conduct. I may ask you for the same thing senator flake has asked for for all those programs, because it seems to be we are either going to judge whether or not we are going to be supportive of Internet Access in the world or not. And i think it is consistently unfair that one set of democracy programs has the greatest scrutiny of the federal government to the absence of all others. As the authorizing committee, we want to see what is happening across the entire spectrum. And i would ask you to give me information about all of those programs and all of the programming of those programs and all of the tweets and all of the emails and everything so that we can make an informed judgment here. And that share is of the view of the authorizing committee that either we believe in these programs collectively, which i generally think i do, in which case we support it, and not choose which country deserves it and which country does not as it relates to Internet Access, and whether or not the aid is the appropriate entity. Aid as part of its Overall Development program, the democracy programs that have been run by aid are critical. And so i am not one to advocate having aid all of a sudden be stripped of its democracy programs. Because democracy programs in and of itself, generally speaking, maybe they are in some open societies in which we seek to strengthen democratic institutions, but there are many in which they are not, which is why we are having democracy programs in the first place. These are not governments that are receptive at the end of the day. The are governments that oppose it and just as the voice of america and a whole host of other surrogate broadcasting was meant to bring broadcasting to different parts the world, it seems to me what were trained to do is to exactly that for which we have a global perspective and understanding the value of those programs and a commitment to it. Those commitments should not be decided by picking and choosing which country we somehow like and which countries we do not. If they fail to provide their people access to the basic flow of information, it seems to me we should be pursuing it. I would like the information on all programs. And if i could finish, and also, let me just say i would like to get a full sense of all your democracy programs beyond the internet as well. Because we are gone to judge all of those in context as well. And maybe i will ask for gao Inspector General reports on some of them. Because in my mind, there is a siege mentality. I respect that there is a difference of opinion as to what our policy should be. What i do not respect is the siege upon one part of our democracy programs to the exclusion of all others. So that is something we are going to have a full spectrum analysis of. Senator flake . I was going to care for, this program is not to provide Internet Access. It was social media content within access that already exists. This program was designed to provide access to information and create a platform. It did not provide Internet Access to any cuban that did not have before, correct . I will let my team respond later. But the program was intended to provide open access to information and a platform to communicate with each other. Clearly there is a basis that didnt exist because people thought to when they had the opportunity, if they have some other venue, they would use some other venue. Telephone access inside of cuba. The problem is the regime blocks access to both the internet and to these platforms. And so that is the challenge of a regime as other regimes of the world that simply do not want to allow its people have information, because when they have information, they may suddenly decide to make choices or to peacefully protest to try to create change in the government, which we generally in the world we look at turkey and what it is doing, and the world has come down on turkey for what is happening there. We look at iran and what has happened there. We look at china and the challenges there. And we condemn those. But in cuba, the cuban people deserve that flow of information. We are going to have a broad range of judgment. One final note, i know that senator flake has a different view, senator durbin expressed some of that, too, but the problem is that way and you do travel to cuba, there are millions of people going to cuba, millions, europeans, latin americans, canadians, and others, and yet the regime has become not less repressive but more repressive and more selective. When you travel and go, you end up feeding who . Unfortunately, not the cuban people, but the regime. Why . Because the regime is the one that has through its company, which is basically owned by the military, the entities by which those who go visit and largely stay at her either with a foreign partner or with entities that are totally owned by the military. So we ultimately feed a regime versus feed people. This is a legitimate debate. We have different views. What should not be a debate in my view, in this context, is the nature of our democracy programs and creating access the information, people, anywhere in the world. With the thanks of the committee, we will keep this record open for questions until the end of tomorrow, friday, and this hearing is adjourned. Rex a look at the politico with more on International Issues reporting on recent comments by the u. S. s ambassador to the u. N. , the headlines ramp up of russias sanctions possible after clashes over the last few days in Eastern Ukraine. On the sunday morning talk shows , she says the sanctions already in place have brought the ruble to an alltime low and depreciated the russian stock market by 20 will stop if clashes continue, there will be a ramping up of sanctions. On washington journal we talked about the unrest in ukraine. Here is some of that conversation. Continues. Host we have kurt volker. Guest thanks for having me. Host developments over the weekend continued unrest in Eastern Ukraine. Russia headlines indicate that russia is behind this. What is going on . Guest this is like what we saw in crimea a few weeks ago. The testers in Eastern Ukraine taking over government buildings protesters any string ukraine taking over government buildings, asserting they have the right to be independent or to be part of russia. They were very well armed. Intention of russia is to take these provinces back to the russian federation. Host this is a quote from the article. Es ukrainians, having seen what happened in crimea, are now prepared to respond more forcefully to try to take back these buildings. There is an antiterrorist operation to reassert control. Washington is warning them off taking those kinds of steps to assert control. Host what is next . Guest russia has 40,000 plus troops on the other side of the theer, inside russia, on ukrainian border. I think you will see an escalation on the russian side, fighting back against these antiterrorist operations. It will create an image of chaos. Ukraine cant control its own territory which russia will use as justification to put in some of those troops to maintain order and protect russian citizens, they may say. Host on april 22, about a week and a half, Vice President biden will be in ukraine. This is in advance of the elections in that country. What can he do . Guest this is a critical thing. We have both bidens visit and john kerrys phone call with foreign minister lavrov yesterday where he said there will be consequences. We need to start putting these consequences on the table so they are real, not just talk about them. Just showing up isnt enough. There have to be some strong actions now or russia is going to keep going. Host we will hear a moment what he had to say in a moment what he had to say. I want to get your reactions to senator john mccain, who said this to his Onetime Senate friend john kerry. [video clip] myon the issue of ukraine, hero, teddy roosevelt, used to a biglk softly but carry stick. What youre doing is talking softly and carrying a very small stick, in fact, a twig. As ahas been done so far result of the russian dismemberment of ukraine in violation of the treaty that they signed in returned for the Nuclear Inventory of ukraine, which was then the Third Largest individualer, some sanctions, some diplomatic sanctions, suspension, not removal from the g8, and now more threats to come. I predicted that putin would go into crimea, because he couldnt bear to give up sevastopol, because he is what he is. And i am now very concerned because of our lack of response, whether he will foment discontent in the manner which which will then demand autonomy for parts of Eastern Ukraine. Kurt volker, as former u. S. Ambassador to nato and now the executive director of the Mccain Institute for international leadership, your assessment of senator mccains comments. On hisi cannot comment comments. He speaks for himself. I think he accurately describes the situation we are seeing in ukraine. My view is similar. We have threatened unspecified consequences thus far for these next steps. We said that if russia goes further, we will then escalate a sanctions response to go further. The thing we havent done is put enough on the table right now that russia feels that it needs to negotiate a way out. It doesnt feel that way right now. It also believes, second, that military force trumps sanctions. To do is are willing put sanctions on the table, then it is going to use the forces on the ground that are there, whether special forces and protesters or real troops, to take the territory that it wants to take. Host his comments, carrying a big stick and saying that our policy is only a twig our policy is intertwined with europe. By europesrung need for Russian Energy resources . An issue of is european dependence on russian natural gas and European Economic interests in russia, but the combination of American Leadership and german leadership in europe, which both sides are quite rightly outraged over what russia is doing, can take this further and put more pressure on russia. There is a preparedness to do that, but it is going to take leadership from those two countries in particular. Host here is what secretary of state john kerry had to say before the Senate Foreign Relations Committee this past week. [video clip] equally as clear must be the reality that our United States and allies must will not hesitate to use 21st century tools to hold russia accountable for 19thcentury behavior. We stated again and again that and theerence preference of our friends and allies is deescalation and a diplomatic solution. But russia should not, for a single, solitary second, mistake the expression of that preference as an unwillingness to do what is necessary to stop any violation of the international order. At nato last week and in all of my conversations of the past weeks, it is clear that the United States and our closest partners are united in this spite the costs, willing to put in tough, new sanctions on those orchestrating this action and on key sectors of the russian economy, in energy, banking, mining. They are all on the table. And president obama has already signed an executive order to implement these sanctions if russia does not end its pressure and aggression on ukraine. Host kurt volker, your reaction to what secretary of state kerry had to say. Guest i know the administration has put together a strong list of sanctions. Russia has already continued its aggression against ukraine. Appliedings need to be to russia so that russia feels the need to negotiate a way out of this. Host what is a 20thcentury tool . What is a 21stcentury tool . Guest he is referring to military being 19thcentury, versus sanctions on sectors of the economy, travel sanctions, access to markets being 21st century. I think both apply in this case. Forces on the ground willing to kill people will take territory. At the same time, there can be pressure on russia through these sorts of financial and other sanctions. We should be using both the Financial Instruments at our disposal and putting in place a few more resources such as arming the ukrainian military, putting defense dividers in the ministry of defense, saying that nato has an interest in continued stability and territorial integrity, and then the baltic states, poland, or romania. Theres a lot we can do to show we are willing to use a little muscle to back up sanctions and diplomacy. Host bottom line as developments unfold ukraine, we see what is happening in russia, how is this going to be resolved . Guest my expectation is that unless something changes, if you look from today forward, russia is going to cement unrest in these provinces in ukraine. There will be a chaotic situation, and by supplying additional materials to the protesters, or perhaps even direct troop intervention, russia will take the the Associated Press is reporting on Vice President bidens trip to ukraine. You will be in kiev to focus on stabilizing and strengthening ukraines economy. Vice president will assist efforts to reform its constitution, crackdown on corruption, and hold free and fair president ial elections scheduled for may 26. Overlap with a trip president obama has scheduled to asia. Tomorrow, we will take a closer look at the international community, specifically the u. N. Comet daily operations and peacekeeping mission. Any amount of the u s concrete very contribution to the u. N. Before that, the Pew Research Center report shows a rise in stayathome mothers. Millman looks at some of the challenges faces the neck secretary of health and human services. We will be looking at your calls , tweets, and Facebook Comments all starting a here at 7 00 a. M. On cspan. Time warner and comcast executives talked before congress about their proposed merger. They were among a number of witnesses before the committee. This hearing man just over three hours. This hearing ran just over three hours. [captioning performed by national captioning institute] [captions Copyright National cable satellite corp. 2013] all took the oath. Welcome everybody here. The chair and Ranking Member of ,he committee with jurisdiction senators global char and lee will be taking over the hearing at some point during the morning. I appreciate the work both of them have done getting us here. The original business of the cable industry delivering programming. Television programming as we all know migrated to internet and the industrys been changing in response. Consumers can now watch what they want and when they want. If any of us have any question about it ask our children or grandchildren and theyll explain it to us. When Companies Like comcast and Time Warner Cable were founded the term Binge Watching was unheard of. Now it describes how Many Americans watch their favorite shows. Cable companies have moved beyond delivering televisions after the networks provide broadband. Theyre now the sole source of service for millions of americans, resulting in playing a dominant role in how many people in the country get their information. And consumers deserve to know how the combination of the two Largest Companies in the industry will impact them. Every senator has heard from their constituents saying what is this going to do to me . So were going to cover the current state of the video and broadband markets. Hear discussions of vertical integration, relevant markets, Public Interest standards, importance issues to consider when analyzing the mergers. Co consumers dont want to hear complex legal jargon, they just want to know why their cable bills keep going up. They want to know why they do not have more choice of providers, and Consumers Want to know, is this merger good for them or not. Frankly every one of us want to find out the same things. In 1996 i voted against the telecommunications act, in part because of concerns i have for look of competition in the cable tv market. Im still concerned. Similar questions are now being raised about the b

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