Representative blackburn is here and is our guest on the communicators congresswomen what is your reaction to fcc vote on a Net Neutrality . A positive step in the right direction. I am very pleased they took the action as the chairman of the fcc will do a wonderful job, he is focused on closing the Digital Divide and the expansion of pod bay and to make certain the internet is an open source and will not be under permit control that is a good thing. Host a step in the right direction . What else . To make it will be up to congress to change the legislative action following what the sec does and what chairman pai did was the right step to take. I like seeing that. Host water some of the items you are working on in the committee right now . There are two we authorizations we are working through the fcc that agency has not been reauthorize since 92. So we are making certain with Spectrum Management and media ownership. Were also working on our nations emergency communication template. It is more than the Emergency Alert coming on the Television Screen or the radio blast that you hear. We have done some hearings and one of the neat things were doing this year we have different numbers that will lead on different issues. Johnson will be our work on expansion and will also lead on encryption and miss walters is new to the committee that she will work with water on the encryption issue and susan brooks will be the work for enhanced 911 efforts and then also leading the privacy of efforts with the work of media ownership and then also looking at u. S. Fiber fiber, and there is a lot of doorplates right now we have such capable members and individuals with welldeveloped areas of expertise did a tremendous amount of those institutional rand career knowledge so it will be nice to see them take the lead. Host so lets bring media lydia into the conversation from bloomberg. I would like to turn to your new Online Privacy bill with a sweeping legislation to give consumers a lot more control over their online data how it is used and collected and it is unjust i sp but also online providers so at the same time when you introduce this last week because the number of people by surprise including some of your colleagues can you tell us about the bill and also what drove you to introduce it . Welcome that opportunity because this is something i have worked on since i was vicechairman of commerce of manufacturing and trade to be chairman of that subcommittee we tried to generate some interest around privacy and Data Security but it didnt get a lots of movement so then the chairman of energy and commerce i took the lead with day Privacy Working Group and that was cochair in a bipartisan manner we did differ a little bit with privacy and Data Security so last year we had a Data Security bill that made it out of committee but not to the floor. People are ready to see something come forward from us on the issues of privacy and died Data Security sown now not only states but cities are looking at regulation because the federal government, congress has not taken action. So now the privacy issue will not have to regulators we will have one. And historically then to be the regulator of privacy in the physical space and a virtual space we think that is important to have one set of rules for the entire ecosystem and one regulator for the entire ecosystem so the consumers know who is in charge and consumers have that protection i think our consumers deserve to have a tool box of tools they can use to protect their presence of mind this is a way to say lets simplify this to put into statute what will the privacy framework be in this is a great place to start the conversation. To add on to that, you would preempt the local privacy laws returning of privacy. To the fcc. But the novelty is that it require an Internet Company like facebook 90 90 of revenue is based on an advertising than they need the option consent so that the threat their business models. How did you take that into your calculation to introduce the bill . Of people feel more confident they have more control over a situation they will be a better consumer for those services. Individuals want to control their privacy so many people say i dont understand is how do i get this p. M. But i have to remove myself from these list . But these pop ups show up in my Search Engine and how is this happening . That happens from data mining. And for consumers to say okay, i will choose the the right to share certain pieces of informations and i choose to hear is that consumer relationship with you but i will not choose to have a shared in other ways there are things i dont want shared and i think individuals have the right to do that. There have been some folks on k street to view the bill is a messaging bill for constituents back home that is concerned about your role. Other say that perhaps this bill could lead to Net Neutrality legislation down though wine so how hard will you push . I am working diligently on the bill as are my colleagues across the aisle we are very pleased we have some senators better looking forward to fighting the bill i am hoping it will be bipartisan and bicameral i look forward to that. Host last week we had the democratic representative from the ftc she spoke about this issue and rules of the road and privacy regulation in here is what she had to say. A couple of various we are concerned about. First is right now because of congressional action and privacy we dont have any federal agency with jurisdiction with the privacy practices of broadband providers. We are very concerned about that it is a huge gap we would like to see congress stepped in to give the ftc jurisdiction which they could do very clearly by passing legislation. To assure bill address when she spoke about . It certainly does. One regulator with one set of rules for the entire ecosystem. Host how does that tie into a Net Neutrality . There are some areas you will see agreement but without process you have to step back into the fcc where they classify broadband from Information Services into title ii that is all about regulation they all knew there would try to change privacy and have two different sets of rules, one for those i sp in the others of the balance of the ecosystem coming from the ftc so when people log on for personal transactions online did not look at that as two different components of the system. They looked at it as one system. That is my reaction for the privacy was important to. It was a new rule that was not implemented the privacy of individuals and to weigh is because nothing changed but the action that we took preserved the status quo so the conversation moved from removing the Broadband InternetService Providers from title ii back at titled one so we had to be sure we did have a privacy regulator that covers the entire ecosystem. Have you spoken or had interest from the white house or executive branch in your legislation . No purple i have not talked with anyone at the white house about the bill and the president will return from his trip i think others are very involved with the tax reform legislation and others are focused on health care. With the broad band expansion and infrastructure bill it will give us an opportunity to seek support for what were doing for privacy. Is there somebody in the administration or a point person . There are individuals that are working in that regard in the white house and you have individuals that have worked with us in committee that are now working in the administration that is there at the white house to i am sure will go win at the appropriate time. What about the american attack council . It is an excellent idea to get input from those individuals because many who produce content that is used online needs copyright protection would get the Distribution Systems you also a recreation and copyright to make sure those decisions are wellbalanced. Host there seems to be a disconnect between Silicon Valley and with the last election had you had a chance to visit out there or the folks that work out there . I talk to individuals out there on a fairly regular basis. I think it is fair to say that some of them looked at what we do in washington d. C. Say Congress Never keeps up and Technology Evolves so quickly supplyside call or a computer design you dont have time to get a bill through and you cannot keep up so there are some good lessons from that but we know sometimes there were just rather deal with the bureaucracy because they think they can get faster action by going to a federal agency rather than waiting on congress and there is a lesson in that for us that we can no longer legislate to technology. What we have to do is look at the end use and functionality looking more at what will this be used for . As you put out specter more broadband deployment or find new ways for usage of the spectrum, and deliver new services to be creative and innovative it will require us to change the way we have telecommunications and technology. You mentioned a couple of place points the broadband bill is expected to move to the house to what is your interest in that bill . We will take it up and looked at. I am looking forward to the senate who has lived on that a couple of years we are always in the house were pleased and the Senate Passes a bill if they are sending it or finishing at through a conference or the president s desk. And on the infrastructure package it is widely believed with broadband you have responsibilities for those Telecom Policies what are your priorities or that must have . First of all, we want to focus on certain areas because we have many areas that still do not have access to highspeed internet which means we need to do Due Diligence and we will start to get the map cleaned up they have not been cleaned up since 2014 if you look at a map of tennessee would think 95 percent of the state has access to hide highspeed internet but in reality that is not even close and our state house and state senate did a great survey that is much more accurate. So lets work with the sec to get the maps in shape and then we need to define what is acceptable. What are we trying to move to . Twentyfive . Three . What do you need for your target. And as we set the framework in place bin you are ready to move to the grants and the dollars that flow from the different entities. There is 10 billion per year through a the u. S. And that ftc to go into broadband expansion like the infrastructure bill will give us another opportunity that is how you expand those dollars it could be partnership with those public entities local and State Government then they leverage those dollars now you have the four one benefit for those dollars or some of those entities they want to do Publicprivate Partnership and looking at ways to utilize broadband. It is important to note what we will do is Technology Neutral because Different Things will work for different areas. Some places it is fiber or wireless but it is finding what will work i have a county in my district right now that is looking at a couple of different areas to do a fixed wireless project because it works for them they dont have enough people per square mile to get that Adoption Rate up high enough to do the of fiber project so they say how can we make this work . Theyre working with a private company to find a way to increase access. What are your views for and against . We have to be careful with municipal bought broadband it the Community Wants to they have the right but i did not like the way the fcc approached that to pick winners and losers. To give some areas grants grants, and also i like that local control there is a problem when somebody gets federal grants and wants to go outside of their footprint that is another county be holden to another city or county i think you have to be careful there but we have had some municipal systems that did not have those dollars necessary the private sector seems to be better prepared. What about where municipal law prohibits because its your own state to preempt the state preemption . How does what you said square that you opposed to that action . Can you delineate your view . When you have a state Regulatory Agency that doesnt want that process then they have the right to do that i dont think the fcc should be the one to save note that you cannot do that to come in and micromanage the delivery or the expansion of broadband. You talked about reauthorization of the sec is it time . You will get to some of the reorganization every once in awhile just looking at what you are about how you organize yourself fit your workload is how you make those appropriate type of adjustments and reforms in the American People want to save more efficiencies and greater access. Host share of energy and commerce subcommittee, witty yet covers telecom and tech for the communicators. The house of representatives called for a vote in german blackburn had to leave a few minutes early but what are your views just let it end of the conversation with a subcommittee she is cheering . Rfa pursuing all lots of different avenues . I think the congressman described in terms of individual members to look at those important issues of cybersecurity but in terms of legislation she mentioned the reauthorization bills that is important for both agencies and the industry beyond that animal how much legislation we will see as congress is focused on health care for kuwait is the next big thing with that infrastructure package that could include bribery and decisions that our important for the Telecom Sector after that, what happens with neutrality . Will there be legislation . The with her privacy bill that adds new pressure to the situation situation, perhaps and she indicated maybe nothing would happen until the fcc acts. How significant is this reauthorization . I think that depends on what is in the legislation. She also seemed to say it could include some restructuring of the agency the white house budget request came out yesterday with details from the fcc theyre proposing to shed at least 100 fulltime employees so what does that mean if that is approved by congress . A reduction of the Agency Activity . Might they have to really focus on Spectrum Management but not regulate the broadband space that could change the of mission quite a bit will they have the full staff to do that . The tribune merger that was recently announced i think everyone is expecting a lot more so it could be a very busy agency to have a Significant Impact it was for 222 million. Is that the potential of the democratic commissioner . Do think commissioner has been very careful with her position she sees herself as a lot of work to be done but that is a question that has been raised it is questioning that there will be some nominations the republicans and democrats think the big question mark is the g. O. P. Spot because after that it is expected senator schumer may take over a the mobile now bill that has the backing of a lot of industry with the Telecommunications Sector there really want to see that enacted with chairman blackburn and the rest of her colleagues. Host with the event driven news . Financial news center. With telecom this is the communicators on cspan