the united states. a number of rankings are affected by countries having large guest worker programs that do not have safeguards built into them. they had their own guest worker lost in the 1990's. those guest worker laws have now been returned by congress last year. one of the situations we saw there is exactly what replicates itself into many countries around the world. that is the notion that the first step that the boss has in dealing with labour and the rest -- when asking for food or pay, they would have their sponsorship -- redrawn. i pot -- the punishment should

not be something that the government in any way as implicit in. guest worker programs here in the united states and abroad, far too often, have been used in that manner. the united states past the traffic -- the trafficking reauthorization act in december in which we actually address that situation. one of the recommendations in the attorney general's report is a top down review of our programs to see if there are additional protections that need to be put into place. we certainly encourage other countries as well to do that same type of review. at the end of the day, this is a crime. it is one of the most serious crimes. slavery and involuntary servitude that the traffickers

hold their victims in is something that cannot simply be remedied by having different immigration structures, by having labor inspectors, by having different policies about various things. rather, it can only be dealt with by prosecuting the people that dare do this. we stand ready, not just a broad, but at home. for other countries that are willing to the same type of assessments that we did in the attorney general's report which was also released today where we look at, what are the strengths, where the weaknesses of the united states government's response to those countries who are willing to engage in that type of partnership. the justice department and the rest of the u.s. government stands ready to partner. >> the thing that jumped out of me when looking at this report is the rather substantial increase in the number of

countries on the tier 2 watch list. i am wondering what you attribute that to. what is it a function of? is it a function of a larger pool of countries being reviewed? is it a function of the economy? is it a function of this administration applying more stringent criteria than the last one did? >> i think it is all of the above, actually. we see 173 rank countries this year as opposed to 153. a number of cases, 17 cases in 2008 were not thought of as special case countries as opposed to actively being ranked. part of that is that congress changed the standards last fall as far as who gets ranked as opposed to reported on. there had been a threshold analysis as to how many cases

run covered in a natural country. you can have a significant trafficking problem -- it would be like a police force saying that they had arrested zero people for domestic violence. these are wondering whether the police force is part of the problem. this is something we see as far as more countries command, the pool gets bigger. given the fact that the economic crisis is putting some of strained labor system, given the fact that we're looking at not just sex trafficking, but at labor trafficking as well, i did not think we can say at as cleanly as and obama administration versus bush administration type of analysis. when the reports started for

this year's report, it was made clear that these would be things that would be taken into account. we're continuing on the work of the ambassador who was my predecessor who started it really focusing in on some of the problems of forced labor. >> is new this year that if you're on the watch list for two years consecutively, your demoted to a tier 3? >> the clock is now taking. as part of the labor force act, the congressional action in december of last year. >> how many countries on the tier 3 list have sanctions imposed on them? >> i am unfamiliar with that. that is something our report staff may be able to help us with. >> can you quantify how the

financial crisis as impacted the trafficking? >> i do not think we can quantify it yet. this is a term that our report staff is seeing. it is a trend that some of the internationals are seeing as well. i think there are two problems. first of all, given the very nature of human trafficking, is very hard to get reliable data. you go into a factory, for instance. if it was a government- sponsored labor broker, they may have sent government employees along in that work force that have a chilling effect. one of the things we have seen -- the closest thing we have as far as what is a hard number of the impact, the ilo report as estimated that it is a $35

billion -- it is an additional $21 billion of opportunity cost losses by the victims. it is a combination of opportunity cost in the extortion recruitment fees and other things they have paid to the labor brokers to begin with. >> $31 billion in profit? >> to the traffickers and the last year. according to the ilo, that have been able to lead it to buy $50 billion of direct impact. -- they have been able to identify $50 billion of direct impact. they tried a figure of what needs to be done for the supply chain. we not only applaud those efforts, we will have public- private partnerships.

>> is it 173 or 175 countries? >> there are few entities that are ranked like the netherlands. there is 175 right places. -- ranked places. >> of the country's demoted to tier 3, 6 were in africa. what happened last year in africa to give this result? >> one of the things we see in west africa, a number of them -- these are countries that have a historical slavery problem that undertook commitments to confront and emancipate families and people who have been part of

a slave caste. those efforts seem to have stalled those efforts -- seem to have stalled. those efforts are part of the anti trafficking movement. one country on the watch list has confronted this better than its neighbors. at the end of the day, what we're dealing with is countries where there is not only in modern trafficking problem in that you have citizens of those countries who are being taken down to the agricultural regions farther south into other countries, but you also have this notion of ongoing hereditary slavery that has not been addressed as quickly as it should be. >> can you talk about the downgrades in asia, in particular malaysia going to

tier 3. is a country that sees a lot of burmese migrants who, from what we hear, are being sold to human traffickers with authority's knowledge. is malaysia a more open type of country? >> i have not heard their reaction to the downgrade the debt. at i am with you guys and the secretary. what we have seen in the last month or so, the foreign relations committee did a recent in-depth study of the very problem with your pointing out. the burmese refugee problem. one of the problems that we have been calling malaysia's attention to is their treatment of refugees, as has the u.n. refugee agencies.

the 500,000 persons strong militia has basically deputized and had money for the aliens that they catch. it is something that has contributed to a zone of impunity around the refugee population. since he did not necessarily have a well structured immigration policing, it has evolved into this much more self-help with that particular militia being involved. the response of the government in malaysia to the senate foreign relations committee report and the allegations that were contained therein initially was positive. they have said they will be investigating the allegations. we would certainly like to see more movement in terms of the investigation of the official complicity that has been reported.

>> time for two more questions. >> on burma itself, an area of prevention, prosecution, and protection, there were progress in all three categories. i thought i would be reason to bump up to bumptier 2 watch list, why didn't it? -- it would be reason to bump it up to the tier 2 watch list. >> we're concerned about the number of prosecutions their reporting. it is unclear if they are prosecuting people that was being hauled in severy, or if they were prosecuting migrants smugglers. they have reported without going burmese nationalists as the victims. -- reported with outgoing

burmese nationalists as the victims. when you actually have the feel of a factory where people are being enslaved, is almost impossible. it is very difficult. that seems to be what we are reporting on. i think we also see that notion within burma, and there has been some reporting as to the benefits that would actually allow them to sell the labor of their citizens. the notion that the state could get into the labour program and use the coercive power of the state to old people and forced labor is something that we are very troubled by. >> i would like to ask you about north korea. the situation has never been better.

the trafficking has related to china. you have any recommendation to chat and north korea? >> this is something that i care a lot about, because a case that a prosecutor earlier in my career involved korean women from parts of china that are near north korea. one of the things you will see with the ethnically korean population in that part of china is that neither china nor north korea seems to want to protect the population. north korea is tier 3 and has been for quite some time. one thing we have seen in necessary for korea to do is to actually screen returnees for trafficking. a lot of people who are caught in china and in labour situations or in prostitution,

first of all, the chinese are not screening them. when they deport them back to north korea, we're hearing from non-governmental organizations that those victims are being punished for having left the country in the first place, rather than actually been given the kind of services and a kind of rehabilitation that a trafficking victim should get under international law. >> thank you all. >> coming up on c-span, a senate confirmation hearing on nominees to the federal communications commission. then, a house committee hears from people who had their health coverage canceled by their insurance companies. later, senate judiciary committee chairman patrick leahy

discusses the sonia sotomayor supreme court nomination. on tomorrow morning's "washington journal." jon hilsenrath, and brad sherman from california. they also discuss whether a hmadinejad really won the election. tomorrow morning, white house chief of staff rahm emanuel speaks and discusses the obama's agend administration opposed the

agenda -- administration's agenda. >> every weekend, stream "book tv" programming write your computer -- right to your computer. the redesign booktv.org, look for it today. >> and now the confirmation hearing for it the president -- for president obama's nominee to head the federal communications commission. julius genachowski work during the clinton administration. it also includes testimony from robert mcdowell, a republican appointed by president bush. his term expires june 30. this hearing is two hours.

>> in welcoming you, i want to set a communications technology is sort of the vibrating, pulsing driver of our nation. it has been let to lapse a bit. for our nation to meet any kind of challenges, no matter what you look at, if communications aren't perfect, between different strata, different parts of the country aren't perfect. we are in lots and lots of trouble if we are not already. because the communication is policy -- because good communications policy will lay the foundation for achievable goals, we need real expertise. that means people who really know what they're talking about. i have said before, being an fcc

commissioner is one of the most daunting awesome, fearsome, time consuming, sleep depriving jobs in washington d.c.. and i think it is also one of the most underappreciated. it is one of the very most important. the powers of the fcc are actually passed. you have no idea the decisions that it makes impacts every american one way or another, whether they care not. -- whether they know or not, whether they care or not. in times of crisis, this is part of it. from the contents that gets broadcast into millions of living rooms throughout america, to the broad band networks that

can bring opportunity to our largest cities and our smallest rural areas. the decisions this agency makes our vital to our nation's future. because we entrust fcc commissioners with these vast powers, i did not lead to introduce him. but i will. we expect a lot from our commissioners. i apologize, chuck. over the last decades, the agency has been disappointing. too often, fcc commissioners have focused on making sure that the policies that the advocates serve the ideas and the needs of the companies that they regulate and their bottom lines. that they regulate and their bottom lines.

that's not the kind of committee this should be or it's not what the fcc should be. time and time again, the fcc has short-changed consumers and the public interest. the influence of special interests at the agency is especially troubling. even noteworthy in the distasteful way that they clamor for their preferred candidates for fcc office. that is why i remain deeply interested in fcc reform and that is why i continue to weigh the merits of fcc reauthorization. i want an fcc that is transparent, that inspires public confidence, that makes our digital infrastructure a model for the world. tragically, this has not been the case for some time. but if the past has been bleak, we have cause for optimism

because i have met the administration's nominee for the chairman, that being you. i am thoroughly impressed. he brings to the job both public and private sector experience. he has the enthusiasm for power of communications but the tasks before him are complex. the days undoubtedly will be long. so, sir, let me be very clear about what the challenge before you is, in my view. fix the agency. or we will fix it for you. fix this agency, prove to us that the fcc is not battered beyond repair. show us that the fcc can put consumers first and give them confidence that when they interact with the agency, they will get a fair response.

show us that the american people can trust the data that the fcc produces and that it can guide us to good and honest policy. show us that the american people can have affordable and robust broadband no matter who or where they might live. show us that parents can have confidence to view the programming in their homes without their children being exposed to violent and i would say indecent content. show us that the agency can think beyond its borders. i work with industry and government to create jobs. so does the fcc. we've got to expand entrepreneurship, grow educational resources and improve health care. that's just for starters. i wind up saying let me remind you the congress and the

american people look to you for these reforms. i thank you for joining us today. i was proud to meet your family who you must introduce after chuck introduces, senator schumer introduces you, and your willingness to serve. i am awed by your willingness to serve because you're going to be a lot older when you're finished. and i look forward to your testimony. >> i think i should let the ranking member go first. >> mr. chairman, i do have an opening statement but i would be happy to let senator schumer introduce the nominee. i would be happy to. >> please go ahead. >> okay. mr. chairman, thank you. thank you for holding this hearing. i have met with mr. genikowski and am, too, very impressed. i think he certainly has the capability to handle this job and it is a big one, as the

president -- i mean as the chairman has said. eloquently. i want to talk about a couple of areas that i think are very important and where the fcc is going to have a major role. of course, broadband. we know that there was a major commitment to broadband help in the stimulus package and the fcc is currently putting together a broadband map. i believe it is so important that we assure that everyone has broadband access before we go into underserved areas. unserved should come before underserved as a matter of a level playing field where some have already made an investment, but also because our rural areas must be able to have broadband before we go into an area that has some but not enough.

secondly, broadcasters have certainly been through a technology revolution and they have provided invaluable services to our nation. i just hope that we will not overburden broadcasters as they are trying to deal with the increased competition in their field with new regulatory burdens and reporting requirements that would just make it more difficult for them to thrive in this market. i do think the fcc has a major role to play. i am the mother of two young children and i am amazed at some of the things that are on networks that are supposed to be okay for children, and i hope the fcc will look carefully at what is appropriate for children and young people as they are

looking at the open air waves that we all appreciate. net neutrality is going to be a huge issue for the fcc and i do want to know what the nominees that we are going to hear from today will believe is the right way to go in any future network management proposals, because i think that it is going to be very important that we again keep the ability of a company to have ctrol of its own internet workings and i would hope there would be less interference in that except where necessary, of course. last, mr. chairman, copyright protections are a critical aspect of promoting richness in programming and entertainment

options, and i hope that we will hear from the nominees about their views on what we should be doing in protecting copyrights in the entertainment industry. so as the chairman has said and i think i have filled in some of the details, you have a huge portfolio with the fcc. i think responsible, common sense regulation is going to be what i'm looking for for our fcc commissioners and i'm very plead that you are here and mr. mcdowell after you, and mr. chairman, thank you for holding this hearing. >> thank you very much, senator hutchison. now with the forbearance of the committee, since we have a most senior democrat, i forget the state, but he's very important, he's very shy, and if i don't call on him he may just leave the room. senator chuck schumer. >> thank you, mr. chairman.

i am so -- first i want to thank you you, ranking member, all the members, for giving me really the honor to introduce julius genikowski, one of my former staffers and good friends, before he's confirmed to be chairman of the fcc. i have had the pleasure of knowing julius for more than 20 years. in fact, after his new york upbringing, i went to college and then hired him right out of college. he worked for me long and hard. i have been blessed with a dedicated and hard-working staff but julius will always stand out. thanks in large part to the work ethic that his family instilled in him, his parents are in the audience today and i have had the pleasure of knowing them. they can speak volumes about the adoration they have for juliu i like to say hello to