day that the white house dithers about this more equipment is pouring in for what i presume will be a renewed offensive at some point. so can you help me understand what the timeline is for a decision on -- from the administration on providing lethal assistance to the ukrainians? >> yes, thank you. thank you, chairman. two things. the first is you're right. our support for ukraine as it tries to create a place for itself in europe situated as it is between europe and russia is very important. i -- and i know you're asking about the military side of it the part i would preface is that -- that is principally a political and above all economic challenge because the economy of ukraine is in serious trouble and so i think the assistance of

western countries to the economy of ukraine is the most important thing. that's not my responsibility. but i just wanted to say, i think that's the most important thing. we are supplying military assistance to the ukrainian military. the president just made an announcement about a week ago about military assistance and a number of categories, vehicles and so forth that i think will be of material assistance to the ukrainian military. there are also under consideration and, yes, it is under consideration some additional categories of assistance which are defensive lethal assistance and those are being considered. i think they should be considered. and i've said that before. but it is a complicated decision that involves other kinds of assistance that we're giving and the paramount fact which is that we need to support the ukrainians politically and

economically and in particular our nato partners and our european allies need to support ukraine economically. in the end, that's the key to keeping what we all want, which is an independent ukraine that can find its own way. and isn't pushed around by the russians. >> well, don't disagree with you about the importance of financial assistance. but what concerns me is while we study to death and thus do not provide them the means with which to defend themselves, against armor among other things, and artillery attacks and so forth the positions in the eastern rebel held area are strengthening. and last point is countries around the world are watching how -- how reliable a friend we are. and i'm concerned that this has tremendous detrimental effects encouraging putin's aggression, and discouraging countries from being friends to the united

states because we're sitting here ringwringing our hands and providing a few blankets and what not. i don't think that's a good way to go. i realize this is -- has turned into a white house call. but it does -- last point is there is tremendous bipartisan support in both the house and the senate for providing this assistance. and i really think the administration is isolated on this issue. and that's also something that is not good for the country. unless you have something you want to add, i don't want to cut you off, but -- >> i would simply say that sort of personal observation, i was in budapest in 1994 when the agreement was signed. that the russians have violated. so i'm very alive to the -- the

possibility that we had had then and i think still need to stick up for of independent ukraine able to find its own way, politically and economically is the only thing i would say. and the first instance it terribly important that that occur and that the other thing i would say is nobody ought to mistake that ukraine is a very important country to us. it is not a nato ally. and i just want to make the point that as far as nato allies are concerned, that raises a whole other set of issues that i hope anyone who is considering encroaching upon a nato ally takes very seriously. >> well i hope so too. i'll be traveling to that region shortly. and talking with some of those folks about it. >> thank you for doing that. >> thank you all, for being here, mr. secretary, welcome back.

general dempsey you're going to miss us when you're gone. >> yes sir. >> thank you, all, for being here. with that, the hearing stands adjourned.

if you missed any of this hearing with the defense secretary and the joint chiefs chair, you'll be able to see it in the video library. go to c-span.org. president obama is traveling to cleveland today. he'll be talking at the city club of cleveland about the house republican's $3.8 trillion budget plan. the hill newspaper is reporting that the president is expected to point out proposed cuts to education, infrastructure, research and other domestic programs. senate republicans are outlining their budget plan today. the loretta lynch nomination for attorney general is on hold while the senate is in a stand still over an anti-human trafficking bill. she is still making the rounds on capitol hill. kelly o'donnell of nbc news tweeted out this picture this morning of miss lynch meeting with west virginia senator joe

manchin. also politico reporting former new york city mayor rudy giuliani is stepping up his lobbying for loretta lynch's confirmation. after that meeting on political, miss lynch meeting with senator manchin. he announced his support for the nominee. live coverage continues this afternoon when fcc chair tom wheeler will go before the senate, commerce, science and transportation committee joined by other commission members to talk about fcc policy and he's likely to be asked about the recent net neutrality decision. live coverage of that gets under way at 2:30 eastern tomorrow. and then on thursday, which would be tomorrow, the house foreign affairs committee looks into negotiations with iran. they called deputy secretary of state tony blanken to testify. he's joined by treasury department official and that's tomorrow morning starts at 8:30 eastern. this weekend, the c-span cities tour has partnered with mediacom to learn about the

history and literary life of columbus, georgia. >> right here inside the museum is remains of a confederate iron clad, the css jackson. and this is an iron clad that was built here in columbus during the war. those oval shapes that you see are the -- actually the gun ports of the jackson. and jackson is armed with six brook rifles. the particular brook rifle that we're firing today is one of the guns built specifically for the jackson. it was cast at the selma naval works in selma, alabama. and completed in january of 1865. the real claim to fame is directly connected to the fact that there are only four iron clads from the civil war that we can study right now. and jackson is right here and this is why this facility is here. first and foremost to tell the story of this particular iron

clad, and to show people that there are more than just one or two iron clads. there were many. >> watch all of our events from columbus, saturday, noon eastern on c-span2's book tv and sunday afternoon at 2:00 on american history tv on c-span3. chinese premier li keqiang held a news conference in beijing sunday after the closing session of the annual national people's conference. he answered a range of questions in both domestic and foreign policy including environmental protection, u.s./china relations and the ukraine/russia conflict. this one-hour portion is courtesy of china's central television. >> with huffington post, in under the dome documentary made by chi zing she complained such big oil companies like sinopac and petro china have been a

block on policies on environmental protection and law enforcement in this field. for example, in the setting of quality standards of gasoline consumed, as well as introduction of wider use of natural gas. my question is, if it is true -- is it true that these companies are posing an obstacle to enforcing environmental protection laws and policies? if so what steps will the chinese government take to remove such an obstacle? [ speaking foreign language ]

[ speaking foreign language ] >> i understand the focus of all your questions is about tackling environmental pollution, especially smog. this is a concern, upper most on all people's minds. i want to tell you that the chinese government is determined to tackle smog and environmental pollution as a whole and tremendous efforts have already been made in this regard. the progress we have made still falls far short of the expectation of our people. last year i set up the chinese

government declare war against environmental pollution. we are determined to carry forward our efforts until we achieve our goal. [ speaking foreign language ] [ speaking foreign language ] [ speaking foreign language ]

[ speaking foreign language ] >> translator: we must get our focus of efforts right. this year our focus will be to ensure the full implementation of the newly revised environmental protection law. for all acts of illegal production and emissions, they will all be brought to justice and held accountable. we need to make the cost for doing so too high to bear.

more support will be given to these environmental law enforcement departments including capacity building and no one must use his power toed me wellmeddle with the law enforcement in this regard. the law enforcement departments should have the courage to take charge and fulfill their due responsibilities. laxity in law enforcement will be dealt with and dereliction of duties or abuse of office will be handled in accordance with the law. we must be sure that the law will work as a powerful and effective tool in fighting pollution instead of being a soft as cotton canty. [ speaking foreign language ]

[ speaking foreign language ] [ speaking foreign language ]

speak [ speaking foreign language ] >> translator: to tackle environmental pollution is a systemic project that involves a lot of efforts in various areas. a few days ago i came across a media report which said in this year's government work report the paragraph addressing environmental treatment came quite in the back. i want to draw your attention to one big difference in this year's government work report that is our targets for energy conservation and emission reduction are put together with all these major targets of economic and social development, which all come very much early

in the government work report. and we also need to see that many parts of the report, be it adjusting economic structure, or improving the quality of field used have something to do with environmental treatment. this is going to take a process and requires the giant efforts of the whole of society. it may be difficult for one to change the natural environment he lives in anytime soon. but one can always change the way he behaves. thank you. [ speaking foreign language ]

[ speaking foreign language ] >> translator: with cctv, as china's economic development enters into a new normal, people are also thinking how we can grant our demographic scale and the growth trend compatible with such a new normal state. and last year merit couples can have a second child if one of the parents is a single child and during this year's two sessions, many people are calling for fully lifting the second child restrictions.

i am wondering if this is one of the goals on the agenda of the government in reforming its family planning policy and if so, is there a timetable for that to happen? [ speaking foreign language ] [ speaking foreign language ]

>> translator: about china's population policy as you said last year, merit couples can now have a second child if one of the parents is a single child. and currently we are conducting a comprehensive review of how this policy has been implemented. based on the outcome of this comprehensive review we were also take into account china's economic and social development situation and changes in our demographic structure. both the pros and cons will be weighed. and we will only make improvements adjustments to our policy in accordance with all these legal procedures. thank you. [ speaking foreign language ]

speak [ speaking foreign language ] [ speaking foreign language ] >> translator: this year marks the 70th anniversary of the end of the second world war. i would like to ask your outlook on history mr. premier.

we have also seen that more chinese tourists have traveled to japan and bought a lot of things there. but at the same time, the number of japanese tourists visiting china as well as japanese investment in china have both been on decline. how do you see such a situation? and how do you view the possible impacts of china's planned commemoration activities including the military parade on the sentiments of the japanese people? [ speaking foreign language ]

[ speaking foreign language ] >> translator: this year marks the 70th anniversary of the chinese people's -- of the victory of the chinese people's war of resistance against japanese aggression. and the world anti-fascist war. not only china but also many countries in the world have planned to hold diverse forms of commemoration activities. the progress of these activities is to firmly bear in mind the hard lessons gained from the past and ensure that that kind

of history will never repeat itself. the purpose is to uphold the outcomes of the second world war and the post war international order and international laws to maintain enduring peace of mankind. [ speaking foreign language ] [ speaking foreign language ]

[ speaking foreign language ] [ speaking foreign language ] [ speaking foreign language ]

[ speaking foreign language ] >> it is true that the current china/japan relationship is in difficulty. the crux about the issue is how that war and that part of history are viewed. one is to hold eye right outlook on history and that means one needs to take history as mirror and at the same time look to the future. for leaders of a country while inheriting the historical achievements made by their forefathers also need to shoulder the historical responsibilities for crimes committed in the past.

the war of aggression imposed on the chinese people by the japanese militarists brought untold sufferings. and the average people in japan were also victim of that war. that such a critical moment this year there is both a test and an opportunity for china/japan relationship. if leaders of japan can face history squarely, and maintain consistency in how they view that part of history, there will be a new opportunity for improvement and further growth of china/japan relations. it will also create a favorable conditions for the growth of business relationship between the two countries. thank you. [ speaking foreign language ]

[ speaking foreign language ] [ speaking foreign language ] >> translator: with xinhua news agency, since the beginning of last year, the banks has been increasing and cases of financial risks of shadow banking have occurred from time to time and soon many local governments need to have a lot

of debt being paid. as the downward pressure on china's economy grows, how do you see these building up financial risks? [ speaking foreign language ] [ speaking foreign language ] >> i think our financial risks are at the center of all these questions you just raised. it is true there have been individual cases of financial

risks in china but at the same time we're fully capable of for stalling financial and economic risks. [ speaking foreign language ] [ speaking foreign language ] [ speaking foreign language ]

>> china's economy continues to operate within the proper range and there is a fairly high savings rate in china. moreover, 70% of local government debts are in the form of investment which posts quite good prospect for making -- for yielding returns. we're also regulating these local government financing vehicles to ensure that we will keep the front door open, while at the same time block those back doors. at the same time, chinese banks have fairly high capital adequacy, racial and ample provisions. it is true that there is underperforming loans and it has picked up somewhat. still, the level of mpl in china

is quite low internationally. [ speaking foreign language ] [ speaking foreign language ] >> translator: individual cases of financial risks will be allowed. we encourage the practice of balancing one's book in a market-based way. we need to guard against moral hazard, and raise people's awareness of these financial risks.

this year we are going to introduce this deposit insurance system and continue to develop multi-tiered capital markets and lower companies leverage racial. all these efforts will help ensure financial services can better serve the real economy. thank you. [ speaking foreign language ] [ speaking foreign language ]

[ speaking foreign language ] >> translator: there have been certain developments in taiwan last year, which have affected the business corporation between the two sides of the taiwan straits. as they adjust the economic structure and the economy slows down, the business people from taiwan operateing have run into difficulties, so my question is, what steps will the mennen take to boost the cross straits business corporation to ensure the businesses and people from taiwan can continue to have acts -- priority access to the management development opportunities? [ speaking foreign language ]

[ speaking foreign language ] [ speaking foreign language ]

[ speaking foreign language ] [ speaking foreign language ]

[ speaking foreign language ] >> translator: people on both sides of the taiwan straits are members of one big family. as long as we continue to adhere to the one china principle and 1992 consensus post time on independence and uphold peaceful development of cross strait relations, we will be able to lay a more solid foundation for cross straits business corporation and expand the room for such business ties. to boost the economicbetween the two sides we need to get two wheels in motion. the one wheel is to enhance institution building to continue to pursue the follow-up

consultations. the other wheel is about further mutual opening up. as far as the mennen is concerned, a closer attention will be paid to the investment made by taiwan business people on the mennen. here i would like to ask you to convey a message to all these people, which i believe will prove to be quite reassuring to them that is the mennen will continue to protect lawful right and interests of taiwan business people, on the mennen and continue to pursue preferential policies toward them as appropriate. in terms of opening up we will give priority to taiwan in terms of both the depth and the intensity of such opening up steps. we welcome people from taiwan businesses, especially including these young people from taiwan to come to the mennen to pursue their own careers and business opportunities. we also want to further enhance

personnel interflow between the two sides so as to bring the hearts and minds of the two sides of people even closer to each other. thank you. [ speaking foreign language ] [ speaking foreign language ]

>> translator: with kbs of the republic of korea, in the last few months of 2014, china's cpi rise hovered at just about 1.5%. and in january, this year, the figure was a mere 0.8%. so are we to conclude that china has entered a deflation? and some people also argue that china is exporting deflation to other parts of the world. and this has also affected the rok. what is your response to it? [ speaking foreign language ]

[ speaking foreign language ] >> translator: about deflation there are multiple criteria in evaluating deflation in the world. a major criterion is the negative growth of overall consumer prices in a country. when it comes to cpi in china, last january we had a positive growth. and the figure for february was further rebounded.

so i don't think there has already been deflation in china. [ speaking foreign language ] [ speaking foreign language ] [ speaking foreign language ]

>> translator: recently consumer prices in china have been quite low. but china is not exporting deflation to other parts of the world. the truth is we have been on the receiving end of deflation. let me give you one example. last year, china bought about 310 million metric tons of crude oil and 930 million tons of ion ores on international markets. the physical volume has been on the rise. the value contained has declined because of the tumble in international commodity prices. and we are prepared to cope with such a situation and at the same time what we hope more to see is

that there will be a quicker global economic recovery and the global economy will regain its momentum of robust growth. thank you. [ speaking foreign language ] [ speaking foreign language ] >> translator: with china daily, some people have come to the conclusion that china has become the number one economy in the world. and is posing a challenge to the leadership status of the united

states. but at the same time they argue that china is still free riding in some international affairs. what is your response to such a view and what are your considerations for the advancement of china/u.s. ties? [ speaking foreign language ] [ speaking foreign language ]

[ speaking foreign language ] [ speaking foreign language ] [ speaking foreign language ]

>> translator: the first part of the question about whether china has become the largest economy in the world, actually i have heard such a view when i traveled abroad on foreign visits. but i always feel there are some elements of misleading -- in this conclusion because according to the authoritative standards, china is the second largest economy in the world. and more importantly, our per capita gdp is still behind about 80 countries in the world. sometime before this year's spring festival, i paid visits to places in china's western region. i visited two rural homes. one there is a mother and son living in a very shabby place where wind can't be felt when you're in the home and because the family is so poor, the son has yet to get married.

the other home has produced a college student, and there is a boy and a girl in that family for the tuition fees to go to college for the boy, his younger sister has to work in cities to support the college fees and she couldn't even come home for family reunion during spring festivals. and it truly pains me to see our people living such distress. and i'm sure there are many more such families in the vast land of china. and by you bit standard of the world bank we still have 200 million chinese living in poverty. so i can say that china is still a developing country in every sense of this term. [ speaking foreign language ]

[ speaking foreign language ] >> translator: china needs to run its own affairs well and maintain its development at a reasonable speed. and i believe that in itself is china's major contribution to the whole world. actually at the same time cha that is assuming greater due international obligations and responsibilities. talking about china's free riding for such a big country as ours, how could it be easy for it to get a free ride on

anybody's train. i think what china is doing is working with other countries in pursuit of common progress. [ speaking foreign language ] [ speaking foreign language ] [ speaking foreign language ] >> translator: so developments will remain the top priority for china. and we need a peaceful international environment for us to focus on our domestic

development. when it comes to china/u.s. relationship, this is a relationship between the largest developed country in the world. we've proposed that china and the united states work together to build a new model of country relationship featuring new respect, no conflicts and no confrontation. this year the president will give a strong boost to china/u.s. ties. [ speaking foreign language ]

[ speaking foreign language ] [ speaking foreign language ] >> translator: admittedly there are difference ps between china and the united states. but what's more important is that the two countries share extensive common interests. when differences are properly held, the two sides can have more extra energy to further expand the convergence of their interests. one highlight in the china/u.s. relationship is that the two

sides are advancing negotiations to an investment treaty. and this is built around preestablishment of national treatment and a negative list. this in itself is to break the ceiling over china-u.s. business corporation and open up new dimensions for the growth of china-u.s. ties. naturally the negotiation will take some time but it's already sent out a clear message to the whole international community that china-u.s. business ties will get even closer and put the overall china-u.s. relationship on more solid footing. [ speaking foreign language ]

[ speaking foreign language ] [ speaking foreign language ] >> translator: with hong kong economic times, my question is about the constitutional reform in hong kong which is of keen interest to the people of hong kong. we have getting close tore the date for a voting on the plan of constitutional reform in hong kong. but recently there has been some quite tough statements made by

the central leadership on this particular topic. and many people are not so optimistic about the process for the constitutional reform bill to be adopted. i want to know if -- and also for the first time in the government work report you said that one needs to strictly comply with the constitution and the basic law at the same time. does this mean that the central government is tightening its policy towards hong kong? and will that affect the relationship between the central government and the hong kong ser, and will that add new uncertainty to the cultural and business interactions between the two sides? [ speaking foreign language ]

[ speaking foreign language ] [ speaking foreign language ] [ speaking foreign language ]

[ speaking foreign language ] [ speaking foreign language ] >> translator: it is the basic state policy of china's government to adhere to the principles of one country to systems. the people of hong kong governing hong kong and both regions enjoying a high degree of autonomy. some people are worried if the central government is tightening its policy towards hong kong, i

believe such a worry is not necessary. it's true that in this year's government work report it is said that one needs to strictly comply with the constitution and the basic law. this in itself shows our commitment to ensuring the consistent and full everyone mentation of the one country two systems principle. this principle has been written into the constitution and the basic law of the hong kong sar. they form the constitutional basis of the hong kong ser. it is also stipulated in the basic law of hong kong what system should be practiced in hong kong. the one country two systems principle reflects the will of the country and the people and cannot be changed at will. you may feel that i have been very careful in choosing my words in answering your

question. this is because you asked a question that relates to the law. so i need to answer it with utmost seriousness. [ speaking foreign language ] [ speaking foreign language ]

[ speaking foreign language ] >> translator: the central government will continue to firmly support the government of the hong kong sar and the chief executive of hong kong sar in governing the region in accordance with the law. and the central government will give stronger support to hong kong for its unique role in china's reform opening up and modernization drive. we hope that there will be closer exchanges between hong kong and that both sides get to benefit from closer exchanges in the business cultural and other fields and all people involved in such exchanges will feel satisfied and have their wl

well-being being boosted. [ speaking foreign language ] [ speaking foreign language ] >> thank you very much. i'm from austria radio and television. vi a question on foreign policy that is very burning for the europeans. the continued presence of russian troops in the territory of ukraine. what is the position of china? does china think that this

corresponds to international law? a couple of days ago russian president putin, as mentioned on russian television how he planned the invasion of crimea. is crimea part of russia now or is it still part of ukraine. thanks a lot. [ speaking foreign language ] [ speaking foreign language ]

[ speaking foreign language ] [ speaking foreign language ] [ speaking foreign language ]

>> translator: china follows independent policy of peace. on the issue of ukraine, china has adopted a just position. we respect ukraine's independence sovereignty and territorial integrity. when some time ago in my meeting with the president of ukraine, when i visited some european countries, these are the words i said to him. he then asked me if he could make them public. i said no problem. use my words and publish them in newspaper. [ speaking foreign language ]

[ speaking foreign language ] [ speaking foreign language ]

>> translator: at the same time the issue of ukraine has added to the complexity of the geopolitical situation and also exerted its impact on the process of global economic recovery, we hope that there will be a negotiated settlement of this issue through dialogue. as for crimea, there are complex causes behind this issue. we also hope to see a political settlement of this issue through dialogue. we hope that there will be harmonious coexistence between neighbors and what we hope to see is that there will be the pursuit of common development and win-win outcomes between european countries, between all countries in the world. i believe that is in the interest of all sites china included. thank you. senator amy cloeb char was on the senate floor today for an hour and 15 minutes starting at

11:45 eastern time this morning reading from a book on sex trafficking. she's trying to get the senate to vote on a bill to provide compensation to sex trafficking victims. that measure has stalled over an anti-abortion provision in the bill. a procedural vote to move the bill forward is set to get underway momentarily in the senate. you can watch that on c-span 2. hear are some of the featured programs for this weekend on the c-span networks. on c-span 2's book tv, on saturday pulitzer prize winner his historian. and sunday night at 10:00, abu dab by journalist, on the rise and leadership of isis in the middle east. and sad morning 9:00 eastern and

throughout the day on c-span 3, american history tf joins american authors lye from ford theater. and sunday evening at 6:00 a visit to the national museum of health and medicine to view items from the civil war collection. including including including -- let us know what you think about the programs you're watching. e-mail us at comments at c-span.org or send us a tweet at c-span #comments. join the c-span conversation. like us on facebook. follow us on twitter. in about 20 minutes or so fcc chairman tom wheeler is set to go before the senate commerce science and transportation committee. he's going to be joined by other commission member to talk about fcc policy and is likely to be

asked about the roe krebt net neutrality decision. last week chairman wheeler told advocates that february's vote on new open internet rules was the proudest moment in his public life. we're going to show you chairman wheeler's comments before the center for democracy and technology. >> it's so great to see all of you. i think we have more here tonight than last year. the gentleman i'm about to talk to and introduce also needs to introduction. he is as some at our table said the man of the hour. but i think he's a man of courage and i think we all applaud his service and his creativity and the inspiration he has brought to his current service at the federal communications commission. so we are all excited to hear what yaw have to say and we're grateful for your time with us

tonight. please join me in welcoming chairman tom wheeler. [ applause ] >> hello. >> how are you doing tom? >> nice party you're having tonight. >> i just have a few friends over. is that okay? >> just a couple of friends. >> we're having a great time. >> it's great to be here. >> thank you for joining us. we're so grateful. so you've been busy. >> nah. every day at the fcc is like sunday on the farm. you know quiet, laid back you know. but it's a great time to be at the commission right now. >> this is the job you signed up for, net neutrality two massive mergers, spectrum auctions. really? this is what you wanted?

>> yes absolutely. i mean how fortunate can you be to be in the middle of the greatest network revolution of the last 150 years. and i know that jessica rosenworse and michael riley my two fellow commissioners are here tonight and i think we all feel that same way. we're incredibly blessed to be at this point in time in history. you know, it's funny. when the president asked me to take this job, i was writing another book on -- this one was on networks in history. and i was operating on the thesis that there had been four

great network revolutions in his think, the printing press the railroad the telegraph and now today. and all of the sudden you get to move from looking at it academically to living it. i mean, it's a great privilege. it's a great opportunity. and these are really exciting times, as you know. >> we are living the exciting times. isn't that an old purse of some time, may you live in interesting times? >> yeah. >> so you said publicly that you thought the day of the net neutrality vote was the proudest day of your career. why is that? >> well, you know, nula, before i answer that, i need to say one thing. i hope that it was a proud day for you and ctv as well. because the leadership that you

showed, the thought leadership that you showed and that cdt had in on this process was really important. and, yeah, i agree. [ applause ] and i've been fortunate enough to be kicking around the policy circles for the last 40 years. and the comment i made was that it was the proudest moment of my public policy career. because, i mean, let's face it, as we were talking a minute ago, i mean, what we're dealing with right now is the most powerful and pervasive platform in the history of our planet. and how were we going to deal

with it? the exciting thing about history is watching how economics and society dealt with the changes in network technology that were affecting the very fabric of life. that's the challenge that we face on this issue. and it makes no sense to have this incredibly powerful platform without having a set of ground rules and without having somebody on the field who can throw the flag if the grounds rules are broken. and that's what we were trying to do with the open internet rule, and u thinki think we succeeded. [ applause ] >> anything more you want to

tell us about the rule? >> the problem is, the problem is that i can talk about the open internet rules through the main course, the dessert and the coffee course. >> you know that i spent most of my career in privacy. so those of us in the privacy side of the house are worried about the reclassification and what that means for you relationship to the consumer andnd the ftc. tell us more about what your thinking is. >> well i know that the chairman ramirez is here and several other of the commissioners from the ftc. and one of the things that chairman ramirez and i have been working on is making sure that our two agencies which frequently abut butt in authorities are working

together. i expect that we'll see that continue on the privacy issues. the ftc has done a terrific job dealing with privacy issues. there's a little cheering section back there. [ applause ] but the other part about it is that we didn't just fall off the turnip truck. and, you know for the last couple of decades the fcc has had responsibility for telecommunications carriers and privacy issues. and we take that responsibility seriously. i think that we have exercised that responsibility diligently. and now we've got the responsibility of saying okay in this newly structured environment what do we do? so the first thing we're going to do is next month we're

bringing together various players. i'm sure that you'll be a part of it. to sit down and say, okay. let's begin focusing specifically in a workshop on what needs to be done post open internet order to deal with broad band privacy issues for the newly classified telecommunications service providers in broad band. but this is not a, this is not a secondary activity or an oh by the way kind of thing. privacy is an important issue for us and will remain and probably grow in importance. >> i think that's probably a good bet. so the rules at least what i know of them, look a lot different than where we started. there are a few zigs and zags on the way. tell us about some of the moments, the pivot moments and your influences and how you got to where you are.

>> the interesting thing about the rule making process is that i think that most people think of it as some kind of a rigid process when actually it's quite fluid. and one of the things that i've tried to do ever since i came in was to say that we would not put out an nprm that did not have a set of rebuttable presumptions in it in terms of really where we thought we were going, we wanted to be going. too often nprms come out, tell us what you think about. and it's hard for commenters to know where to focus. so we went out and said we think that section 706 is a wray to attack this problem and reinstate the 2010 rules.

and we asked specifically asked the question should title 2 be used as a better alternative. i think we got an answer. and we learned a lot through this whole process. you know i -- you know, thanks to gigi song who is here some place -- [ applause ] wait a minute. i want to join in that applause. you know, i guess i'll say it the way i feel it. gigi dragged me around the country to meet with various consumer groups, innovators, financers, the public, and to engage in a dialogue.

and the thing that i learned in that process and through thoughtful filings like yours and others, is that the basis of section 706, the test of commercial reasonableness i thought i knew what it meaned. but when you start looking at putting the term commercially in front of the word reasonable it can lead to very different outcomes. and if the -- if the interpretation of this relatively new concept was to be what is reasonable for commercial networks rather than what's reasonable for innovators or what's reasonable for

consumers, that was the wrong question and the wrong answer. [ applause ] so it was based on that that i started saying, well we need to look at the just and reasonable test which of course leads us to title 2. and combining title 2 and section 706 to have a one-two punch. and so like i said it's a very fluid process. and i think that the result of that kind of a fluid process, that kind of listening and learning, has produced a far better outcome. >> that's true. so others in your community, though are a little bit concerned -- and cyber is

recently reemerged as the hot word of the month. is there going to be some kind of constraint on broad band provider's ability to thwart off cybersecurity threats? we're concerned about obviously those kind of issues. >> one of the fascinating things -- and, you know, having spent a lot of time lobbying the fcc and the congress -- >> you did that? >> -- one of the fascinating things that i experience almost every day is sitting in any office and remembering the times that i walked into that office and would pound the table and talk about impending doom if you didn't follow what i wanted you to do. and so i've become a bit e

aneuroed when i heard the same thing. one of the things they like to talk about was, if you're going to band blocking, you're going to not allows us to block other kinds of evil things that are happening. bologna. [ applause ] i mean let me be clear. let me be clear. we're talking about protecting lawful content. okay? not unlawful content. and in that the security of our networks is right alongside the openness of our networks in terms of a priority that we should be responsible for and we should be worrying about. insofar as calea is concerned, hey, you know calea for -- and i was around at the birth of

calea. calea has always been a balancing act between privacy and security. i don't think anything has happened to change that. >> so you've gotten really popular on capitol hill lately. you're going to be spending a little time up there i think in committee hearings. what are the prospects for moving forward in a collaborative way with your friends on capitol hill in. >> well first of all, they are the congress. okay? they write the laws. what we were trying to do was to implement the statute that congress had given us. it is always within congress's purview to say, hey, time-out. i want to zig left instead of

zag right. but -- and you know i think that i have a good relationship with the leaders. doesn't mean we always agree but i think we can have open and direct conversations, which we do have. and i'm anxious to what can -- what are they interest in where do they want to go. but at the base of things, i think that we have, in a three-two vote two weeks ago, established the gold standard for what open internet protections are all about. [ applause ] >> so you've got 22 months left. what else are you going to get done? >> who's counting. >> you corrected me.

i thought it was 20. >> that's true. we were sitting here here and she says we've got 20 months left. and i said no, i've got 22 months left. there's a couple of things. number one, i -- there are four goals. one unleashing the power of broad band. it's one thing to talk about broad band but talking about broad band you know, is like saying railroad railroad railroad railroad. it's what the railroad enabled was important. we need to focus on what we've already started but we need to finish in terms of modernization. what we've got to do in terms of making sure that there is access for those in challenging situations, whether it be in rural america or whether it be economic limitations that keep

you from having access. we've got to look at the evolving market in terms of over the top video, mvpds, this sort of thing. we've got to worry a lot about privacy. we've got to -- i have been adamant from day one that we have a responsibility to make sure that this new technology is being used to attack the challenges of americans with disabilities. because there's new capabilities that are made available by ip and we need to make sure those are -- that's one. how do you unleash. second thing is you've got to have broad band. have spectrum. if the network of the 21st century is wireless you've got

to have enough spectrum. we've all seen the studies about the demand and where that's going. obviously we just finished the aws 3 action we've got the first in the world incentive auction coming up next year. we've got a report in order on 3.5 gig hertz which is going to have high spend wireless access. and we've got -- and we've got lots of things that we want to do in terms of unlicense. so that's number two. number three in the collection is maybe you've heard competition, competition competition. competition is the consumer's best protector and the innovator's best friend. and the whole question of

transitioning from analog network to ip networks brings a whole raft of challenges there. and then the fourth issue we've already discussed which is public safety and national security. i mean we've got to have 911 systems that work. we just -- we just, you know put in place a set of rules that provide for location accuracy for wireless subscribers. but you've got to ask yourself the question. why is it that we're looking six years down the road for when these standards are going into effect when today i can use uber and the cab comes to my house. so how do we have uber 911. so we're going to have a

workshop in april where we'll be talking -- we'll be bringing various players together from the applications community as well as from the wireless community and the public safety community to talk about how do we build a standardized infrastructure with open apis so that creative apps developers can build something that will interface with a common access to the equipment that's used at peace apps. we've got to think ou way through it. there's a lot -- in other words, 22 months is a short period of time and we've got a lot to get done. >> are you going to get it all done? >> or die trying. >> well you better get home and get to work then. thank you all for welcoming chairman wheeler. >> thank you. [ applause ]

>> the fcc commissioners are on capitol hill this afternoon to answer questions about their recent open internet vote classifying the internet as a common airier like telephone service. tom wheeler faced tough questions on tuesday at a house oversight committee hearing. last month the fcc approved 3-2 along party lines new open internet rules designed to prohibit internet service providers from blocking or discriminating against legal content moving through their networks. commission members are testifying today in front of the consumer science committee. bill nelson of florida is the ranking member. we expect the hearing to get underway shortly here on c-span3.

good afternoon. this hearing will come to order. it's great to have all five of our fcc commissioners with us. we want to welcome you and generate a bit of a crowd. interest in some of these subjects i think here, senator nelson. so let me just start with my remarks and then we're going to -- i'll yield to my distinguished ranking member, the senator from florida, senator nelson for his remarks and then we're going to ask the fcc commissioner to confine their remarks to three minute so we can get to the question and answer which is what i think everybody around here is interested in. so welcome today oversight hearing. every day every single american relies on some part of our nation's vast communication system, the internet, telephone

television, gps or the radio. efficient effective communication system is the bed roc of our nation's economy and the tie that binds together our 21st century society. the fcc sits right in the middle of america's digital world. this is more true followed the fcc decision to turn or broad band internet infrastructure into a public utility. it is apparent from that action last month that the fc contraction is threatening an unpredictable agency that it struggle to operate designed nearly so 0 years ago and. to be clear today's hearing is not a response to the title 2 order but clearly no discussion about the fcc can ignore one of the most significant and most controversial decisions in the agency's history. my views on this subject are well known. i believe there should be clear rules for the digital road with clear authority for the fcc to enforce them. i put forward a draft bill with my house colleague to begin the

legislative discussion of how best to put such rules into statute. like most first drafts with are our draft bill is not perfect. i invite members of the committee and stakeholders from across the political spectrum to offer us ideas so that the final draft can win bipartisan support and provide everyone in the internet world with the certainty that they need. the fcc's recent action accomplished the exact opposite. rather than exercising regulatory humility the three majority commissioners decided to take the radical and polarizing partisan path possible. instead of working with me own. my colleagues in the house and the senate to find a consensus, the three of you chose an option that i believe will only increase political regular ra toir and legal uncertainty which will ultimately hurt average internet users. your actions jep par daze the open internet that we're seeking to protect. there was one idea that unified

them for nearly two decades. the internet is not the telephone nut work and you cannot apply the old rules of telecom to the new world of the internet. three weeks ago three regulators turned their backs on that consensus and i believe the internet and its users will suffer for it. the debate illustrates the importance of the fcc which makes it amazing that congress has not reauthorized the fcc. indeed it's the oldest expiration in this committee's jurisdiction. a situation i intend to recollect fie in this congress. today's hearing marks the beginning to write and pass legislation to reauthorize the fcc. i know that contentious matters divide this committee but fcc authorization is an area where i believe republicans and democrats can and should work together. wanting the fcc to be an

efficient regulator shouldn't a i know members on both sides of the aisle have common sense ideas to make the agency for responsible and i look forward to hearing their suggestions and views and i look forward to hearing the commissioner's thoughts today. writing a new fcc reauthorization bill should not be a one-off effort. it is my hope that the committee will get back to regularly authorizing the commission as part of its normal course of business. in order to do that effectively the committee must be diligent. as such the commission should expect to come before this committee again. how the commission works is just as important is as what the commission does. in addition to discussing important communications policy matters, i hope members will use today's hearing to explore the commission's operations, processes and budget. for example, the fcc has requested $530 million for fiscal year 2016. this funding level would be the

highest in the commission ears history. that alone raises eyebrows particularly when american house holds continue to do more with less. but they want the fund the increase by raiding the universal service fund. paying for record high funds is a dangerous precedent. we may have varying differences bun thing we can agree on is that its limited fund should not be used as a reserve fund to play for the fcc's core statutory functions. that's what the commission's regulatory fees are for. usf funds should pay for usf services. services. given the significant interest in hearing from the commission today, i do not expect this hearing will be a short one. in order to get to the member's questions i ask that all of the witnesses limit their oral statement to three minutes apiece. the longer written statement wills be submitted for the record. i look forward to hearing from

your commissioners today in what i hope will be a productive afternoon. with that i would yield to my ranking member senator nelson. >> thank you mr. chairman. a few weeks ago everybody in this room today knows that the fcc responded to the dc circuit court and responded to 4 million americans by restoring essential protections for consumers and competition on the internet. obviously there's going to be a lot of discussion today about the content and the development of those rules. and there will be much scrutiny on the legal justification that the fcc used to support its adoption of the rules. now, while those legal means are important, in fact, they are the

statutory tools congress gave the fcc to perform its job. and we must not lugs sights of the results of this rule making in terms of the protections that the fcc adopted. as this senator has said repeatedly, as i have discussed with the chairman, i remain open to a truly bipartisan congressional action provided that such action fully protects consumers, does no undersut thecut the fcc's role and leaves the agency with flexible forward looking authority to respond to the changes in this dynamic broad band marketplace, so much of which what we think we know

today is often changed because of the repidty of development of technology. many of you have heard me speak of title x as a yet to be defined title. and i use the term as a way to think beyond the rhetoric that has now engulfed this political argument. the key question for me is we must ask how or is it possible to take what the fcc has done and provide certainty that only legislation signed into law can provide. is it part? it is part of the larger debate on the appropriate role of the law and regulations in the broad band age. and as we have that broader discussion, i invite you, mr. chairman wheeler, to continue to work with us to craft the right

policies to accomplish that goal. as important as the issue of net neutrality is to this nation, we should never forget the other vital work that is done by the fcc. with ongoing regulatory oversight over as much as sun-sixth of our nation's economy, this agency plays a critical role in ensuring universal access and promoting competition and protecting public safety and protecting consumers. the fcc recently closed the biggest spectrum auction in history, $41 billion. and funding the nationwide public safety wireless broadband network in providing $20 billion for deficit reduction. that's huge.

and it's in the midst of planning for the voluntary broadcast television incentive auction, a new form of spectrum action that could fundamentally change the nation's spectrum policy. yet, we can't rest. and when it comes to spectrum continued public and private tech technological development will continue to put train on us. congress, the fcc and the rest of the federal government needs to work together to develop a smart forward looking spectrum policy and i certainly, this one senator will certainly try to help that effort. the fcc is also overseeing the ongoing evolution of the nation's communication networks known as ip transition.

one of the trial projects associated with ip transition is proposed in my state. i'm looking forward to an update on that. generally, i have concerns about how the ip transition might affect public safety. so we can get in that. and the fcc has done a lot to modernize its universal service fund programs, including expanding the e rate program. what one of our senators has not been involved in e rate and promoted. and this program provides critical support for our nation's schools and their libraries. the enhancements the increased funding will help guarantee the nation's students have access to 21st century technology not just some of the kids in this country. and i also appreciate the work

that the fcc has done to increase the availability of affordable high speed broadband in rural areas around the country. i encourage you to redouble that effort to ensure there's not this digital divide that keeps going on, that urban kids get one thing and rural kids get another. i want to thank chairman wheeler and the fcc's staff on improving the agency's consumer complaints department. senator udall and i sent a letter to the fcc last year asking them to upgrade the commission's consumer complaint website to make it more user friendly. and the chairman delivered. and the new on summer complaint website is light years ahead of

the previous system and i hope that we can continue to see the additional upgrades. i want to thank all of the five fcc commissioners for your public service. i want to thank you for subjecting yourself to five committee hearings -- no eight committee hearings in five days. and mr. chairman i thank you for the privilege of serving with you on this committee. >> thank you senator nelson. i share that. and we'll look forward to working tot on a lot of these issues in the days and weeks and months ahead. the colleagues on this committee on both sides of the aisle important work to be done. we're going to start by hearing from our commissioners starting with the chairman tom wheeler who will kick it off then we'll go no alphabetical aerd of that with commissioner clie bourn, o'riley and commissioner pai and

commissioner rosen wore sell. >> thank you, mr. chairman. it's a privilege to be here with my colleagues. we're five type a individuals who have been working together for the public interest. let me make three quick observations in keeping with your three-minute rule. one the open internet decision, as you indicated is a watershed. your leadership, mr. chairman, has illustrated that there really aren't any differences about this need to do something, as you said today. we need clear rules. there are different approaches to be sure. >> wireless is causing cancer and the fcc has been hiding it from everyone. suffering with brain injuries, breast cancer. >> you're subject to arrest! >> cancer. world health organizations classify -- >> real estate main order in the

hearing room. >> world health organizations classify all of the wireless as the class 2 b cancer again. these aren't safety standards. >> sorry mr. chairman. please proceed. >> thank you, mr. chairman. as i said, there are different approaches that we take to be sure and no doubt we'll be discussing those. we've completed our work, strong open internet rules will soon be in place. but let me touch on a couple of other issues real quickly. one is that there's a national emergency in emergency services. congress holds the key to that issue. the vast majority of calls to 911 services now come from mobile. we had a unanimous decision of the commission just a few weeks ago to require 911 location capability from wireless callers.

the carriers are stepping up. but delivering location information from the phone is only the front end of the problem. there is no national on how to maximize the life-saving potential that is now being delivered as a result of the carrier's activities and our rules. there was an example a tragic example, in georgia just a few weeks ago. a lady by the name of shanell anderson who was calling from a sinking car in the middle of a lake. and her call was picked up by an antenna in a different public safety answering points jurisdiction. and you can hear this heart breaking conversation with her as she says where she is and the dispatcher keeps saying i can't find it. i can't find it. because this other jurisdiction didn't have the maps as to where

this woman was all because of the vagueries of how a wireless signal gets distributed. 6500 different public safety answering points are staffed by dedicated, qualified individuals but is there an absence of a federal program that recognize that mobile has changed the nature of 911. and we can't just worry about the signal coming from a caller. we've got to worry about what happens to make sure that that signal is used. this isn't an fcc paragraph. i don't care where it goes in terms of responsibility. but we have a responsibility to americans to make sure that the information we as a commission are requiring be transmitted actually can get put to life haf saving uses and the congress has

the ability to do something about that. my second quick issue. the broadband progress report that we recently released found that rural america is falling behind in broadband. the disparity between rural and urban america as senator nelson suggested s unacceptable. only 8% of urban americans lack high-speed broadband. we tackled that -- a part of that with the erate modernization and the rural fiber gap for schools. 40% of rural schools are without access to fiber. they now have alternatives under the new rules. the commission recently revised the support mechanism for price cap carriers an additional $1.8 billion from universal service found upgrade their activities.

and areas not participating began the process that will lead to an auction next year where alternative providers can step up and say, no i will provide service. an experiment leading up to that put $100 million out to test alternative pathways. we plan to act on rate of return carriers this this year. to deal with the tying of voice and broadband together which is a problem they're dealing with. to replace the infamous qra. that's a process that could be greatly -- stakeholders on a common solution. i thank you, mr. chairman, and members of the committee for the opportunity to be before you. look forward to discussing any issues you want to discuss as we go forward. >> thank you, chairman wheeler.

>> thune, ranking member nelson members of the committee, good afternoon. my written statement details my views on some of the difficult sdigts decisions facing the fcc. for purposes of my oral summary however, i will focus on just two. while i prefer competition over regulation, the truth is that marketplace nirvana does not always exist and here are two examples where markets have failed and regulatory backstop is needed. it is unacceptable in this day and age that calls are not being put through. we tackled this practice by prohibiting a ringing signal unless a call is actually completed and we have required carriers to retain and report call data. data collection rules go into effect april 1st and we will use this information to ensure that the fcc has the tools necessary

to take additional action if appropriate. while a petition requested relief may pending at the fcc for nearly a decade, fees and rates continue to increase. calls made by deaf and hard of hearing inmates top $2.26 per minute. add to that an endless array of fees. $3.95 to initiate a call. a fee to set up an account. another fee to close an account. a fee to use a credit card. there is even a fee charged to users to get a refund of their own money. there are 2.7 million children with at least one parent incarcerated and they are the ones most punished and the downstream cost of these inequities are borne by us all. the fcc finally adopted

interstate rate caps in august of 2013. and what has been the result? despite dire predictions of losing phone services and lapses in security we have actually seen increased call volumes as high as 300% and letters to the fcc expressing how this relief has impacted lives. i hope we answer the call with permanent rate caps and fees for all of these customers this summer. i am grateful, mr. chairman and ranking member, for the opportunity to appear before you today. and look forward to answering any questions you may have. thank you. >> thank you commissioner clyburn. commissioner o'reilly. >> thank you mr. chairman ranking member nelson and members of the committee for the opportunity to deliver testimony to you today. i have always held this committee in the highest regard given my past involvement as a congressional staffer with oversight hearings and legislative efforts. i recommit myself to being available for any resource i can and be any help in the future.

in my time at the commission, i've enjoyed the many intellectual and policy challenges presented by the innovative and ever-challenging communication sector. it is my goal to maintain friendships and seek out opportunities where to work together. to provide a brief snapshot i have voted with the chairman on approximately 90% of all items. unfortunately, the percentage drops significantly to approximately 62% for the higher profile open meeting items. one of the policies i've not been able to support is the insertion of the commission into every aspect of the internet. the commission pursued an ends justify the means approach to subject broadband proers without a shred of evidence that it's even necessary. even worse, the order punts authority to fcc staff to review current and future internet practices under vague standards such as just and reasonable, and reasonable network management. this is a recipe for uncertainty

for a nation's broadband providers. nonetheless, i continue to suggest creative ideas to modernize the regulatory environment to reflect the marketplace often through my public blog. i advocated any document to be considered in open meeting should be made publicly available on the commission's website at the same time it's circulated to the commissioners, typically three weeks in advance. i meet with numerous outside parties but i'm preclude for telling them, for example, having read the document their concern is misguided or already addressed. the stated objection to this approach presented under the cloak of procedural law -- in addition the commission has questionable post-adoption process that deserves significant attention. while i generally refrain from commenting on legislation i appreciate the ideas put forth by senators heller and others which would address these and other commission practices such as the abuse of delegation, that

lock the public out of critical end stages of the deliberative process. i believe these proposed changes as well as others would improve the functionality of the commission and improve consumer access to information. separately, i've always been outspoken on many substantive issues such as the need to free up spectrum resources for both wireless broadband, both licensed and unlicensed. i look forward to working with my colleagues on this and many other issues on the months ahead and i stand ready to answer any questions you have. >> commissioner o'reilly. >> thank you for giving me the opportunity to testify this afternoon. it's been an honor to work with the members of this committee on a wide variety of issues from promoting rural broadband deployment to freeing up more spectrum for mobile broadband. it's a particular now that senator moran has joined the committee. senator moran was kind enough to introduce me. and i can only hope his kindness

will continue when he has a chance to question me later today. i last testified in front of this committee in march 12th of 2013. since then things have changed dramatically at the fcc. i wish that i could say on balance these changes have been for the better. but, unfortunately that is not the case. the foremost example, of course, is the commission's decision last month to apply title 2 to the internet. the internet is not broken. the fcc didn't need to fix it. but our party line vote overturned a 20-year bipartisan consensus for a free and open internet. with the title 2 decision the fcc today to give itself the power to micromanage virtually every aspect of how the internet works. it will hurt consumers by increasing their broadband bills and reducing competition. the title 2 order was not the result of a transparent rule-making process. the fcc has alr