DemocratJessica Rosenworcel and brendan carr. This is two and half hours. This hearinge will get underway. Because we have time constraints i will forgo my Opening Statement and ask for unanimous consent to be put into the record and we will proceed directly to introductions that we are going to hear and hopefully to the panel. Senator nelson wants to make an opener and we will do that after we recognize senator roberts, the senior senator from kansas who is here and will open things up this morning. Senator roberts . Sen. Roberts thank you. Thank you Ranking Member nelson. And fellow senators, senator moran. And members of the committee. It is a great privilege for me to introduce a friend, ajit pai , for his reappointment to the federal commission. It is not often i find myself on the side, but i have to imagine that on occasions such as this i must be calmer than you are. [laughter] an. Roberts that is sort of inside story. My staff wrote that. I have no idea what it means. [laughter] you look really nervous. Sen. Roberts it is hard to believe more than five years have already passed since we introduced ajit for his first confirmation hearing to serve at the fcc. At that hearing in 2011i highlighted his impressive professional background, both in government and in the private sector, a background that made clear he was a talented man capable of leadership. Today having served as commissioner and chairman of the fcc, his record of success for itself. In his time at the sec, he has taken on robo calls, he has increased transparency and accountability by releasing Commission Documents to the public prior to agency votes. He has traveled the country highlighting challenges and opportunities for rural consumers that currently lack sufficient access to broadband. So more than anything, i want to thank him for his dedicated work on behalf of consumers across the country and especially for kansas. And i want to thank you for in kansas and alan last fall to highlight the importance of the work rural providers are doing to connect families into Small Businesses in Rural Communities to broadband that is so vital to success in todays economy. As chairman of the agriculture committee, i regularly hear from farmers and ranchers that have come to rely on broadband to run their operations and to connect customers and markets all around the world. And i take heart in the fact that those constituents that feed the nation and world have a fearless advocates at the home of the fcc, who understand the challenges that lie ahead in closing the Digital Divide between rural and urban communities. To my colleagues on this committee, i urge a swift confirmation of for my friend and a proud kansan. Thank you. Chairman thune thank you senator roberts. I always tell senator roberts, if you close your eyes you can hear paul harvey. Yes. Thank you. I will turn out to senator nelson for his opening remarks and then we will go to some other introductions of some of our panelists. Sen. Nelson thank you mr. Chairman. And there seems to be some passing interest in this subject matter today. It would be impossible to get all these people into our Little Committee room, so thank you all for all being here. And it is because everybody here understand that the commission plays such a vital role in protecting consumers and competition. Incumbent upon us to review the qualifications, to carry out the role of all persons nominated to serve as commissioners to this agency. ForJessica Rosenworcel, it has been a long and winding road. When in reality, she should already well be into her second term on the agency. I want to thank you for your patience, your perseverance, and your continued willingness to serve the public. Your expertise, your good togment, the dedication the Public Interest is noted. And it is a central. Is essential. Brendan carr, congratulations on your nomination. There you are. It seems clear that you are wellliked and wellregarded by the communications bar. And i enjoyed my meeting with you. , yesterday. We have concerns about two consecutive terms, not one term, but two consecutive terms. To which the senate is being asked to confirm you. And it would provide you with the longest single initial. Period of service to the fcc. In addition, it is hard to recall a similar situation where someone was nominated to serve at the commission alongside rather than to follow their current boss. We must have commissioners with an independent voice at this critical Regulatory Agency and ones that will fight for consumers and the Public Interest. And that is why i will urge our colleagues to take a particularly hard look at the question of two consecutive terms. It seems to me that the wiser course would be to hold this hearing, consider the gentlemans qualifications and if he is confirmed see how he does over the next couple of years before confirming him to an additional term on top of the original one at this agency. And finally, let me welcome back chairman pai. You have been busy since your last appearance. I want to give you do credit for many of the actions the fcc took at the open meeting last week. They included several solid proconsumer actions aimed at improving the lives of americans. You, these most recent Consumer Protection actions, however as mere icing on what is cake. Ise, unpalatable ak constructed out of actions that would a cake constructed out of actions that would eliminate protections that threaten consolidation, that free andinternet less less open and that we caaken critical Consumer Protections for those most vulnerable. Many of us cautioned you other earlier in the year that we would judge her success on your ability to put the Public Interest ahead of certain special interests. Us there are a number of concerned, are you heating that advice heeding that advice. That advice was offered from the heart. Ultimately, we need commissioners that have consumers backs. We need commissioners that are not afraid to use the robust Statutory Authority that congress has given to the fcc to protect consumers. And on behalf of those consumers, this committee is going to be over seeing and doing our duty as the oversight committee, and will be doing that robustly. Mr. Chairman, thank you for the opportunity. Chairman thune thank you senator nelson. I will ask if our three nominees would come forward. They are very wellqualified nominees. Missrosenworcel and brendan carr as we consider the nominations for the commission. Before we go further, i want to welcome, i know there are a number of the families here today and thank you for being here and for being a part of Public Service, which i know ames in many cases with sacrifice on behalf of the families. I will flip it now to our other senator from kansas, senator moran, to introduce the chairman. And following that i want to recognize senator blumenthal for two minutes to introduce jessicarosenworcel. And it senator gardner is going to introduce brendan carr. We will go in that order. Senator moran, senator gardner, senator blumenthal, and then remarks from nominees. Sen. Moran thank you. Thank you to the Ranking Member. I joined my colleague from kansas and welcoming mr. Pai and his family to the commerce committee. I consider him a friend, which is a word that you have to choose carefully around here so that it retains any meaning. Of i also consider him one the most intelligent and hardworking diligent Public Servants i have ever met. In my time in congress and as a citizen before elective office. And i have seen him in kansas and washington dc. We appreciate the fact remains a kansan, even when he is surrounded by the influences of the nations capital, so i consider him also a person of integrity, common sense and good judgment. I had conversations with both jessica and mr. Carr in recent days and i asked them to hold ajit accountable and bring the fcc to a point where there is camaraderie and cooperation and the last time that chairman pai was in front of the committee, i indicated to the other commissioners that if you failed to do that i would call his parents and ask them to intervene. I have no doubt that will not be necessary. We want an fcc commissioner networks together, even in differences of views and policy professor, perspectives, takes the higher road, working together with respect and dignity for all commissioners. Something i think that this committee would appreciate, particularly based upon past circumstances. So i am really here to just say ajit, thank you for your Public Service and i look forward to your confirmation. And i believe you are totally worthy of the opportunity to serve americans in the capacity that the president has asked you to serve. I will ask my colleagues to join me in that confirmation. Chairman thune thank you. Senator blumenthal . Sen. Blumenthal thank you. I could not be more delighted and proud to welcome Jessica Rosenworcel here today along with her family, emmett and mark. They come from a wonderful family in West Hartford and she has really served with extraordinary distinction and dedication. Not only at the fcc, but also with this committee. In letting be remiss this moment pass without paying tribute to two of the giants that have served on the committee, senator rockefeller and because she worked with them as their counsel. She has been a champion of important toy everybody on this committee on a bipartisan basis, our schools, emergency responders, everyday consumers. I have been privileged to welcome her several times to connecticut where she has championed the interests of the victims of cramming. And although the homework gap, which is the hartford current recognized a few days ago in an editorial, a term that she coined. Advocateeen a tireless of Public Safety mode working to ccste the secs 9 11 ffc 9 11 rules. And she has been pushing to update our spectrum policy and unlicensed use. I hope to continue to welcome her back to connecticut on issues like the pervasive scourge of robo calls, which she visited connecticut to highlight. And i want to thank her and again her family, all the families here today because i know that your service is really worthy of recognition. Who devote time and effort to your spouses, your parents, your loved ones. And i look forward to ommissioner rosen wurtzels to ther confirmation. It is overdue. And i look forward to working with all nominees and congratulate you on your nominations. Thank you. Chairman thune senator gardner . Gardner thank you. I have the privilege and honor of introducing brendan carr to the committee today. Before i begin, i want to send a message to ajit, remember, it is our water. [laughter] and i am not from virginia, that because brendan carr does not have a virginian on the committee they selected the next best thing and that is colorado, part of it in the union today because of the Louisiana Purchase and a virginian, so welcome to the committee today it is an honor to have you. Brendan carr has dedicated his life to telecommunications policy. After receiving his degree at georgetown university, he continued his education and telik medications at Catholic University in washington, worked as a telecom attorney before joining the staff as a lead advisor on wireless Public Safety and international issues. He serves as the secs general counsel acting as a chief Legal Advisor for the commission. During his time there, he has had the opportunity to visit colorado twice. I was fortunate enough to have him accompany me through this day, with the opportunity to visit startups, a great start up state. We met with podcasters and Rural Broadband providers and we toured a 911 emergency call center. Throughout the tour i was impressed with his grasp of telik medications policy across the wide range of issues. And i believe he would make an outstanding commissioner. He is certainly committed to the success of our urban core doors of this country but equally important the rural quarter was of our nation as well. It is my pleasure to introduce brendan to the committee and i look forward to hearing him discuss what he sees as his role in the commission. Welcome to your family as well. Chairman thune thank you. We have to vote at 10 30 a. M. And we will roll through that to try to keep the process moving forward and ask that the nominees confine their remarks to five minutes as close as optimum, giving an optim time for questions. We will start with chairman pai. Ranking member nelson, members of the committee, thank you for holding this hearing. That has been an honor to work with you on many issues. I would like to introduce my family, my wife jeanine, our children alexander and annabel, collectively the nuggets, and my brotherinlaw and his fiancee rachel. I am grateful to them for their love and support. Especially i would like to thank my parents, who traveled from kansas to be here today. 46 years ago they left india with little more than 10 and a transistor radio and today here they said with distinguished members of this body, their son having been nominated by the president of the u. S. To this important post. Only in america. I also would like to thank President Trump for nominated me to serve another term, and to senator roberts and senator moran for their support and kind introduction to this morning. Finally i want to congratulate jessica and brendan on their nominations. If confirmed, these Public Servants will each Service Great distinction. Over the past several years, you have come to know me and where i stand. For the past several months, you have seen this work from closing the Digital Divide to combating to making the agency more transparent. I am sure we will discuss some of that work today. But i want to share perspectives from outside the beltway. One of my favorite poems is song of the open road. He writes of the people he has met. I carried them, men and women. I carry them with me wherever i go. I swear it is impossible for me to get rid of them. I am filled with them and i will fill them in return. I can understand what walt whitman meant, for ive had the privilege of meeting countless people, both in washington and around the country. Stay with me. I carry them wherever i go. They fuel my passion to help deliver Digital Opportunity to all americans. I carry with me steve currier. During my visit to the suit reservation in south dakota, he told me about a woman that was found dead in her home. She had out for help 38 times but the call never went through because there was no wireless coverage. I carry with me mike frost of allen, kansas. He runs a feedlot that uses Broadband Technologies to monitor every cows unique intake in realtime, that way he can assure particular buyers that his beef is of the highest quality. I carry with me a Carnegie Mellon professor. Several years ago she founded a company that creates apps for sports teams and venues, delivering information to fans. The client included sports teams, including her beloved penguins. Her personal story is inspiring. Her family came to america through india and she is a great role model for Indian Americans and women in the stem fields. And i carry with me a doctor from the cleveland clinic. 2stroke patients brain uses million brain cells every minute and the doctor explained how connectivity of the self has allowed the units to cut the time for stabilizing a patient by 38 minutes. I carry with me mike bosch, andy newton, travis carter, and others. They helped run competitive fiber providers, one in kansas, Southern Lights at the gulf coast, u. S. Internet in minnesota, and rocket fiber in detroit. I have seen for myself how they are building Fiber Networks in small towns and big cities. I have even strong fiber myself in a by you in louisiana and in a crowded city block in minneapolis. I carry with me when gilmore, who helps run my hometown radio station. Enabling others are generations to make their own lifelong connections through the station and town. I carry with me alex alex gard, a seattlebased company which helps consumers avoid unwanted robo calls. Me forg of, i carry with the treatment of new york city. She wrote to me calling robo calls the wild west, an area of lawlessness. Hopefully you will put this high on your agenda, it is disruptive to ones life. Ist but certainly not least carry with me my coworker that the fcc. They are the strongest advocates this agency or any agency could have and it is an honor to work with them. Are just a few of the stories i carry with me every day. I am filled with them. Should i be confirmed, i will do my best to ensure that the fcc byls them in return empowering them to help americans everywhere improve their lives and connectivity and technology. Thank you for, holding this hearing. I will continue to work with you and hopefully my colleagues in the time to come. Chairman thune thank you. Ms. Rosenworcel, welcome. Ms. Rosenworcel thank you. Good morning members of the committee. Thank you for the opportunity to appear before you today. I am honored to have been renominated by the president to Service Commissioner at the federal communications commission. I would like to begin by introducing my family. Sitting behind me is my husband of 17 years, mark balin. And sitting next to him as our son, who is seven years old. His 10yearold sister, caroline frances, could not be here today. She sends her regrets because she is at summer camp. As you may know, i previously had the honor of serving as commissioner, but i stepped down from the position at the start of this year and i headed home. Since that time i have had the privilege of attending every