particular chapter -- the context of the great story in america. he said it has o bne voice. guest: we sent back and forth e- mails and, with one voice, finally, i hope. host: let's go tobeth in georgia. caller: i have a question about the later stages of the campaign and the vitriol that the mccain/pailin campaign seemed to be turning up in the rally. mr. haynes johnson said that anyone elected in 2008 would face these difficulties in the divided nation. do you really think that hillary clinton would be facing the kind of hatred and vicious things we

see at these town halls given what started late in the mccain campaign? guest: yes, i think that hillary would have faced the same problems, but whether she would have faced the vitriol, the comments about communist, i do not know. but i do not know the answer. host: here at isa quote from the viewer. guest: terrible moment for mccann. if he could take back those words -- i think that he thought he was saying something other than the way that it came out. it was a terrible moment. the obama campaign hurt. one of the staffers in the

communications office went to others. the mccain high command heard it and flew down to florida. they knew this would cause a terrible problem. it sounded as though he was out of touch, lacked an understanding of what was happening in the economy and with average folks. it certainly did cost him. host: do you remember one moment in this book? guest: the victory speech in chicago. it went beyond politics and swept across the country. whether democrat or republican, we made this change. it was a sense of hope. now we are polarized again. host: good morning, james, in florida. caller: yes, they had six or

seven scandals in the campaign and there were only worried about sarah palin's order. there are four communists right there. lloyd once to stop this type of show. he wants to take a with a license because he will raise the price of the license and give it to the low. many times he said he hates the constitution, so how can you support anyone who hates it? we had a constitution long before we had a president. guest: i never heard obama say he hates the constitution. he is a constitutional lawyer. if anything, he is pragmatic about the policies in our country. i just do not a. guest: one thing that is interesting -- i just do not agree.

guest: we have heard from conservatives who feel this far to the left, and some say that he is the continuation of too many of the bush policies. he is trying to sort it out. guest: his promise was to bridge differences in the country. it is difficult. host: a lot of attention on the concession speech in which he said the hope will never die. but there is another concession speech by hillary clinton you outlined in the butt. but lead to that moment in june, 2008 where he made reference to the cracks in the ceiling? guest: this was the final moment for hillary clinton as president and perhaps the end of her hopes of ever becoming president. the day of the last primaries in june she was under tremendous pressure to use that night to

declare the race. over she resisted. -- to declare the race over. i have some sympathy. if you had run that kind of race, particularly in the final stretch, that she deserved on the night not to have to simply pack it in and say was a failed campaign. i think that she wanted to give her own supporters of one more moment to revel in accomplishment. there was then a debate the next day about what to do. most of her advisers believe it, ok, she had to pack it in very quickly. her chief strategist thought she would suspend the campaign, but end it. they used the phrase, make obama grovel for her support" -- mark

was in the minority in that view. hillary quickly came around and decided it was. * host: finally, your favorite moment from the book? guest: i cannot one. -- i cannot pick one. for all the candidates there are moment e oflation and moments of deep depression. watching these candidates through the highs and lows, and following the end through-- one of the things about presidential politics in addition to telling us what americans think about themselves is that you see big characters under enormous stress, fighting for what they believein. we saw that in the case of all

these main characters. it was one of the joys of covering it. host: "battle for america 2008" -- gentlemen, thanks. the issues of broadband technology and wireless communication among the topics at an open meeting. coverage begins now live. [captioning performed by national captioning institute] [captions copyright national cable satellite corp. 2009] . .

>> it was not as exciting as last time. we welcome everyone to the august, 2009 fcc open meeting. i am delighted that today's our first meeting with commissioners clyburn and baker. i will have more to say about that, but first i would like to ask my colleagues if there are any opening remarks. go ahead. >> we are a fully reconstituted commission.

we have some huge challenges facing the commission and facing the country. i am looking forward to having the benefit of the input of these five souls up here as we focus on those problems. i think commissioner clibyburn and commissioner baker have a deep commitment to public service. we have issues like broadband and all the rest -- she certainly has a background in the media. i am looking forward to working with her on those subjects. commissioner baker had time at the ntia which i think puts her in good stead for her leadership role here. i really admired the

intelligence and the congeniality -- the collegiality that she has brought to everything. i think we are geared to go on this. it is looking good. we have talented people that you have brought in. most importantly, of all the 1800 people who constitute the fcc team. i really do believe that this commission's best days are ahead of us. we have big things to do. we have challenges to develop a national broadband plan, challenges about media in our country. both of those cry out for action. i believe that each of us in the fcc will be a part of transformative history in the making. welcome to all. >> this is a great thing.

to have commissioner clyburn and commissioner baker on board, i think it is a terrific addition to round out the seeds. that is a great first step. hopefully, we could save money that way. you could scratch off the address or something you have a terrific background, not only on the south carolina public utilities commission, but i am looking forward to working with teo with your business background as well. i'm very excited to have you here. of course, i have known commissioner baker for many years. i know firsthand about her love for energy and her dedication to public service.

most importantly, she has a sense of humor, that will help to keeper same here. with her wealth of experience, especially on wireless issues, we will have a great conversation. lastly, we have several things in common, one of which to be added to that list is you are sitting in that chair, which means that you have to go last. it means that you can be curiously editing your statement on the fly as all of the other commissioners take the good point. you will have to improvise. this will drive the legal binder's absolutely crazy. good luck with that. let me know if you need any help. as we move forward, i am very pleased. >> thank you. commissioner clyburn?

>> thank you for your kind words. i join you in welcoming my new friend and colleague, commissioner baker. from the moment i walked into this building, i have been treated with warmth and kindness. i have been the beneficiary of a group effort on part of the staff to make my transition from the south carolina public service commission to the fcc as smoothly as possible. i might not have found my way into the building had he not come out to the curve and waved me back to the correct driveway. i want to take time to think everyone here at the commission for your efforts. thank you for the welcome banner in the front lobby to the gentleman who adjusted the thermostat yesterday. each of these things qualify as first class southern hospitality and are greatly appreciated. i am deeply honored that

president obama has entrusted me with the responsibility of serving alongside my distinguished colleagues on this commission. together, we have a mission of critical camp -- critical importance to the american people as we regulate industries that are essential components of our economic recovery. i look forward to hearing from all stakeholders as we work to develop responsible policies that protect consumers and encourage robust competition and innovation. i'm fortunate to be surrounded by an incredibly talented staff here at the fcc, including some who will be recognized at today's meeting. i will rely upon your expertise to guide and form and advise me as we develop sound communications policy over the next few years. for us to be successful, we must engage in an open and honest dialogue. i will do everything in my power to ensure that my office fosters

such an environment. allow me to introduce the folks in my office who have been assisting me during this transition. first, a very special thanks to my active confidential assistant and my acting staff assistant. next, carol samson, who previously served in the public safety and homeland security bureau. she will be my acting legal advisor covering broadband issues. the acting legal adviser and chief of external affairs will be handling media and consumer issues. he most recently served as deputy coordinator of the dtv tax course. -- dtv task force.

i also want to thank michelle ellerston who is leading the transition effort in my office. i am pleased to be working with such an experienced team. thank you again to all for your generosity. i look forward to working with all of you in the days ahead. >> thank you. commissioner baker? >> thank you, mr. chairman. can i have a few minutes just to revise my remarks? thank you very much, commissioner mcdowell, and commissioner copps. i am so glad to be here to join this enormously talented staff here at the fcc. i would like to take a few minutes to say thank you to the people who got me here. first of all, of course, i am grateful to president barack

obama for nominating me. i particularly would like to thank senator kay bailey hutchinson for her support. thank you for helping me through the process. they were really great. i would like to think commissioner rick l. -- commissioner mcdowell for his time, an encouragement, and assistance. if it was not for angela, i might still be writing my responses to the questions for the record. i would like to thank the chairman. we are also lucky to serve with not only such a capable man, but such a personable one. thank you very much for your calls and for ensuring that i had everything i needed to make this transition very smooth. thank you for putting together an agenda today which is a first meeting that we can all agree on. i want to thank you for swearing

in as well. i would like to think commissioner copps for your collegial attitude that you instilled while you were here as acting chairman. i think we are all incredibly grateful for that. i would also like to thank commissioner clyburn 4 partnership in a the confirmation process. it really was a bonding experience. last but not least, i would like to wouldmary beth richards -- i would like to thank mary beth richards. with that, i was like to introduce my incredibly smart and capable staff who have been extremely hard at work to make sure that we hit the ground running. they are over there. my legal adviser is going to be covering wireless and homeland security. they are great.

my confidential assistant -- and she has us together. it is amazing. our receptionist is betty morris. i have enormous gratitude for all of your help and wisdom. thank you. i am honored and humbled and really thrilled to get to work at this incredible place. at this incredible crucial time in communications history. i look forward to working together to help bring the most advanced and efficient communications systems in the world to all american consumers. let's get started. >> perfect. thank you. i appreciated especially that the commissioners took the time to think their staff. i that we all know here on the commission deis that without the incredible work of our staff and

offices and the commission, we would not get anything done. they worked incredibly hard on this meeting, as they do every day. you will see over the course of the meeting today, the tremendous work that several bureaus and offices have been doing. thank you to you as well for doing everything that you do to make the commission run on time and run so well. i would like to thank commissioner copps and commissioner mcdowell. with five commissioners on board, the fcc can finally run full court again. seeing as how our new members hail from south carolina and texas, i should probably be using a football metaphor. we have a full slate of five commissioners and the fcc is adding to remarkable leaders. commissioner clyburn's

perspective serving on the south carolina commission for more than a decade, as well as running a newspaper for more than 13 years will be relevant to the commission. commissioner baker, through your years of impressive service inside and outside government, you have developed a deep understanding of the communications landscape, which in addition to the incredible expertise we have here, will be a real value to the commission. we're fortunate to have both of you at the fcc. as an added bonus, expanding the number of commissioners from three to five should mean that my statements are 40% shorter. today, we focus our agenda on our core goals of promoting innovation, investment, and competition in communications while harming consumers with the tools they need to make smart, informed decisions. we begin with a series of inquiries on local communications and consumer empowerment, items that relate

to broadband as well. before we proceed to our schedule business, i would like to pause for a moment to reflect on the loss of senator ted kennedy, a historic champion for justice whose work deeply and positively affected the lives of countless americans. his leadership will be mess at the sec and by our nation. many people will speak about senator kennedy this week. i want to spend just a couple of minutes on the passing of another visionary of unique relevance to the fcc, someone who in many ways embodies the goals we focused on in the meetings this today and through his life work demonstrated the power of communications to transform lives. a successful orthodontist could have spent his entire career fixing people's teeth. early in his life, he encountered a simple obstacle that he was determined to overcome. he wanted to use the telephone

he was deaf. he had an idea. he started tinkering with old teletype machines. in 1964, he teamed up with another death inventor, a physicist, who had developed a device called the acoustic coupler, known today as a modem. they created the first tty device. for the first time, the deaf could communicate by telephone. the invention allowed hundreds of thousands of deaf people to call their friends, colleagues, and their mothers. it was truly a transformational technical achievement. his legacy rings loudly in this building and reminds us of the great things that can happen when we focus on the topics at the center of today's meeting. the tty became perhaps the earliest example of the power of

openness to unleash the genius of the american inventor at the edge of the network. it reminds us of the importance of promoting investment. without the creation of a nationwide network of terminals ofthe tty would just be a hobbyist's novelty. his invention was initially resisted rather than embraced by network engineers. it reminds us of the importance of empowering consumers. no communications service can make a difference if people cannot access it. he led an effort to make sure that tty's were affordable and widespread. all of us owe a huge debt to him. it is in the spirit of the great man that we turn to our agenda meeting for today, which will address the topics of innovation and investment, competition, and

consumers. these values lie at the core of the fcc's mission. they are essential to ensuring that communications in the 21st century serve as an adoring engine of economic growth for our nation, and improve the lives of all americans. today's agenda also reflects particular focus on mobile communications, one of the most important and dynamic sectors in the communications landscape and a high priority for this agency. wireless technologies are essential to help americans organize their businesses and lives with the advent of remarkable new broadband devices like the iphone, the blackberry, we're at a pivotal moment in the history of this industry. the communications act in trusts the sec with management of the spectrum, the public airwaves, a unique and scarce national resource. it is a core responsibility of the agency.

sometimes, this will require changes in commission rules. sometimes it will, but it will always require a relentless focus on policies that promote innovation, competition, and consumers. against this background of the enormous promise, we're establishing the factual foundation to take appropriate and concrete steps to maximize and accelerate investment and innovation, increased competition, and power users with the information they need to make the market work. this process will be essential for our nation to become the world's leader in mobile technology and realize the best technology -- the vast potential. can you please introduce our agenda for today? >> thank you, mr. chairman. good morning, commissioners. today's agenda includes three items for your consideration. first will consider a notice of inquiry to seek to understand

better the factors that encourage innovation and investment in wireless and to identify concrete steps the commission can take to support and encourage further innovation and investment in this area. second, you will consider a notice of inquiry soliciting information for the next annual report to congress on the status of competition in the mobile wireless market, including commercial mobile services. third, you will consider a notice of inquiry that seeks comment on whether there are opportunities to protect and empower american consumers by ensuring sufficient access to relevant information about communications services. you'll also hear 3 presentations. the first will describe the status of the commission's process for implementing a national broadband plan. the second will describe the status of the commission's process for developing fcc reform.

last on your agenda, the commission will present the rewards for excellence in engineering, excellence in economic analysis, and the employee of the year. this is your agenda for today. the first item will be presented jointly by the wireless telecommunications bureau and the office of engineering and technology. >> i believe you will make the presentation. please go ahead. >> good morning, mr. chairman and commissioners. you have charged the wireless bureau with obtaining the facts and developing the analytical flatwork -- analytical framework that will do the following prefers, enable the united states to leave the world and mobile communications. second, support wireless communications as an adoring engine for economic growth. the notices of inquiry you have before you today are early steps of integrating those goals. the wireless innovation and of

the mobile wireless competition are two sides of the same coin. we know the competition drives innovation and investment. it forces companies to continue to develop new approaches and make investments for future growth. we know that innovation drives competition. in order to achieve these goals, innovation, investment, and competition, we need facts and we need sound analysis. both of these are full of questions. we're hoping for answers that will build the knowledge base and help us to formulate analytical framework. the first item addresses wireless innovation and investment. this is very much a joint item. first, the one who needs no introduction, the chief.

you will find chief of the policy and rules division. we also have chief of the spectrum policy branch. representing the wireless bureau staff is the deputy chief and a senior attorney in the spectrum division. thank you. >> good morning, mr. chairman and good morning, commissioners. would present a notice of inquiry on innovation and investment in the wireless sector. the goals of this inquiry and are to better understand the factors that drive and ekrich innovation and investment in wireless and also identify concrete steps that the commission can take to further encourage innovation and investment in this area. innovation has the power to transform the communications landscape. wireless is an increasingly significant part of the communications sector.

it has the ability to make a major contribution to short-term economic recovery and long term economic growth. the commission's policies, particularly with respect to making spectrum available in making a major impact on the development of services and products in the wireless orlansky. while we recognize successes of certain regulatory policies over the years, it also represents an opportunity to take a step back and analyze what further enhancements the commission can make to its policies to better encourage innovation and investment in wireless. it particularly focuses and ask questions about what uses americans have for wireless to solve real-world problems, particularly in areas such as healthcare, energy, education, and public safety. for example, wireless technologies are being used to monitor patient health and administer life critical

functions for patients. also being used to operate smart electrical grids and smart appliances. wireless technologies are being used to deliver content to classrooms and also used for public safety agencies to find new ways to protect safety and life. it seeks comment with respect to certain issues to gain a better understanding of a state of innovation and what innovation can play to drive it for. the noi asks questions about what data sources we should be considering. how to compare the united states with other countries in terms of innovation, and what high level trends are taking place that we should focus on and track overtime.

the provision of innovative wireless services and products is critically dependent on access to spectrum. that is why we seek comment on developments and the use and availability of spectra that are happening in the wireless ecosystem and the commission should focus on in determining what role to play. for example, we ask questions about what methods we should use to potentially purchase the spectrum for new uses. we ask questions about how to further access the spectrum, how to access models, find new ways to better manage protection and how to develop enhanced methods to reduce spectrum more efficiently. innovation is a crying in a number of other areas in the wireless ecosystem. for example, wireless networks

are evolving to more converged platform architectures. wireless devices are used for multi functions such as smart phones and new sophisticated applications of things like location-based services that are being developed as well. we seek comment on what is going on in this area and what role the commission might play for encouraging innovation and investment in these areas. in addition, the underlying seeks comment on way that the commission can experiment in the wireless sector, with respect to the experimental licensing program. the wireless bureau rep -- recommends adoption of this item. thank you. >> do you have remarks? >> i do. thank you. thank you for everyone at table

and never once standing behind you. these three items are so interrelated to avoid repetition of each of the statements, i would like to do a three in one. it will make my initial statement and a bit longer than it might otherwise have been. hopefully that will save us a little bit of time moving forward. each of these three nois goes to the core function of a power in the u.s. consumer. the agenda today is really propitious for the first meeting of our folly reconstituted fcc. i would like to thank the chairman for his leadership in bringing these items for burd. i think it shows a commitment that bodes very well in the

months and years ahead. the notices we're adopting today laid the groundwork for sound public policy making. they seek to protect consumers in three ways. by searching out new ways for the commission to facilitate wireless innovation and investment, improve our ability to promote wireless competition, and ensuring that consumers have the information they need in order to make intelligent choices for themselves and their families. we begin with innovation. more than the dramatic advances of the 20th-century, the 21st century will be about transformative innovations. wireless technologies have already empowered consumers in ways unimaginable just a few short years ago. those first seemingly magical devices are now evolving into robust global computers. the wireless industry deserves

recognition and credit for how much it has accomplished mark me down as one believes -- one who believes that we have only broached the beginning. it depends on significant measure on our country's success in encouraging wireless innovation. there should be no doubt that facilitating further innovation in wireless technologies is absolutely crucial to our national prosperity and well- being. we look to industry for much of that. visionary public policy must be the handmaiden of private enterprise. that is how we grew this country. once again, we must learn how to harness our national resources, innovation, and growth. one of the great and costly shortfalls of the past decade was a decline in commitment to basic technology research and development. the tsunami of industry consolidation that america and

work in recent years shortchanged research and development because research and development did not know -- the quarterly bottom line in weis' sufficiently appealing to speculators on the make. government was exiting its role as an incubator of research and development. the simultaneous private and public cutbacks constituted a double whammy that cost us dearly. the national research council reported that a couple of years ago, without enhanced focus on technology, the u.s. role as a global leader in technology can only continue to decline. the report showed how government-funded research had decreased significantly over the past several decades we need to act upon them. with today's notice on fostering innovation and wireless

communication, we begin to act. we launched an inquiry to discuss how we can better promote investment in new technology and service. we seek to better understand how important innovations are occurring across the extensive value chain of the wireless market. what has gone wrong? what are the shortfalls? what are other countries doing to promote innovation? we inquire about ways to improve spectrum management practices to make it more affordable for innovative services. how can we revise our rules to allow greater access? how can we do a better job as an agency addressing concerns and conflicting claims of contending parties? what rule changes do we need to make as wireless network infrastructure technology brings

us new up -- new opportunities and challenges? i am also pleased as a number of questions that focus on innovations and devices and applications. they are increasing sophistication and complexity of new devices. they have opened new worlds to millions of consumers. how does the openness of wireless networks and devices affect the pace of innovation? what can we learn from the internet model where openness has provided consumers a fantastic world of troy's an application? the freedom to troy's divide -- choose devices is good for entrepreneurs. wireless technologies are just

ends of themselves. they are going to be called upon to solve many of the critical challenges facing our country. improvements in health care through patient monitoring devices, energy conservation through smart grid, education by bringing classrooms and public safety by enhancing the capabilities by our first responders. as we enabled wireless technologies and services, we enable america to master many challenges. i would also say how pleased i am that we will have the opportunity to consider the comments we received as we develop our congressional mandate wherein promoting innovation will be important to the achievement of our goals. we already have records of some of these issues. all action does not need to wait until next year. today, we also pave the way for improving the competition report

to congress by expanding the scope of that report. i have advocated the benefits while we have made some limited progress in this regard in recent years, we have a long way to go. in particular, i remain concerned that the commission has not yet developed a more alaina, -- a more analytical standard for evaluating the state of competition. this is a crucial time to fully understand the state of competition in wireless. it is no secret to most people in this room that i have been more than a tad critical of the extent of consolidation that has occurred in wireless. while i applaud the technology and service strides that the wireless industry has made, i remain unconvinced that the road we travel is ideal. the commission has a statutory duty to prevent undue concentration in the wireless marketplace. we opened the floodgates with of

repeal of spectrum accounts. the commission has been playing on helpful games with altering without completing necessary analysis. the time is now with a new commission and a national broadband plan in the making to decide what path to take in order to ensure a more competitive wireless marketplace. there -- going forward, we cover the broader wireless marketplace. it has transitioned from a reliance on voice services to the increasing reliance on broadband services. we need to better understand the various segments that comprise the global wireless ecosystem. in this inquiry, we seek to identify consumer segments that

we should examine, which could include analysis by services such as voice, text, data, type in devices, modem cards, services, and the typo's subscriber using the service. we seek additional data about upstream markets like tower and back call. it may affect wireless competition. we seek more data regarding the range of choices that consumers have an affect their purchasing decisions. these are all the right questions to ask. finally, we were considered consumer disclosure. we have not done much of a job on this important element of

consumer protection in recent years. the committee -- consumers cannot be expected to make informed choices without being informed. i talked about better cellphone mapping being available to consumers when they sign up for a carrier. the situation is arguably better now than it was, -- but could have been better sooner. wireless bills remained a monthly enemy for consumers. ask my wife coupes our bills about how much she looks forward to that envelope roof -- arriving in the mail. consumer protection must always be front and center as we discharge our public interest obligations. it is not as good public policy. it is essential public policy. if information is power, consumers too often lack power. as the digital revolution transforms our lives, let's make sure that consumers have the

information they need. i am also very pleased that we have asked whether truth-in- billing roles that apply to wireless lines are not always adequate. whether they should be extended to broadband internet access services and subscription video services. the digital age is a time of communications convergence. i am pleased that finally with this item, we begin to examine what information should credibly be available to consumers. in sum, this is good news. by issuing them, we endeavor to become a more pro-consumer agency that we were originally conceived to be. let there be no doubt that these notices represent only the beginning of the process.

commission orders bring change. i hope and i believe that this commission will act with a sense of urgency and authorize the final order to do the job for the american people. i appreciate the leadership of the chairman, the input of all of my colleagues, two of which did not have an abundant time to consider this item. i think all of the staff that has cooperated so well and preparation of these proceedings. it was a job well done. thank you. >> thank-you, commissioner. >> thank you, mr. chairman. congratulations. it will come. it has been a pleasure to have been on board for a while, but i

want to congratulate you for a job well done. i had to do a double take. that got a little bit confusing for a moment. i want to think michelle for her terrific job as acting general counsel. i look forward to the exciting time that we have to continue to work together with the commission. i want to congratulate the wireless bureau team, as well as the people in fcc engineering and technology. the commission's policies have encouraged and enabled the innovation that is defined in today's wireless marketplace. the wireless market appears to be robustly competitive with 51%

of consumers having a choice of five wireless providers and about 94% having a choice of four. at the same time, more competition is coming over the horizon. prices have been coming down while the functionality, innovation, and choice have been going up. as a result, wireless technology has penetrated broadly and quickly across america. even at present in the midst of the worst economy in decades and in economy seems only to shrink a times, it tends to plow as much as $80 billion into capital expenditures that are making broadband services faster, more available, and more affordable.

few, if any sectors can make such a claim. i think no other sector in our economy can make such a claim. the phenomenal success of the wireless sector shows that while a light regulatory touch works, while we support the commission seeking to develop a framework for analyzing wireless innovation and the relationship between innovation and investment, where we go from here is not yes -- is not yet clear. where we have been is clear. the commission's longstanding policy to allow competitive market forces rather than command and control regulations, to foster the development of an investment in wireless networks and services, has led to remarkable advances. i hope that we will proceed with care, mindful that any future actions should aim to attract more private investment capital rather than deter it.

in my view, it does not provide adequate time to organize and submit insightful information. while i appreciate the comments associated with the national broadband clan, i concerned that we may be shortchanging both inquiries by not allowing adequate time for a meaningful input on the challenging economic questions raised here. i think the staff before it's hard work and my colleagues for the first of our unanimous votes. i continue to look forward to working with everybody to learn more about innovation and investment. >> it is very exciting to embark on this quest to expand and inform our understanding of

important innovations in the wireless market. i want to thank the chairman for is leadership in initiating this notice of inquiry. it is intended to build on already successful policies in this critical sector. the wireless marketplace continues to evolve. the past decades of technological advancements in innovations in software and content enhancements are remarkable. the inquiry is designed to canvass specific areas of wireless innovation, understand encumbrances, an illicit new information on how to best promote and enable wireless innovation. i think our efforts here combined with today's inquiry into competitive conditions in the mobile wireless market are important steps in the right direction. the extent to which our inquiry will lead to greater competition and innovation in the wireless

market can only in north to the benefit of the american consumer i am particularly pleased that this recomposes spectrum and cost factors associated with reallocations. the questions we raised regarding access models and mechanisms are equally important as this noticed correctly recognizes, spectrum availability for new services and applications is an ongoing challenge and a handicap on wireless innovation. i greatly look forward to hearing from all of you on ways we can spur the innovative and intensive use of spectrum. i am aware of the projected interference that can arise when new services and devices are sought to be introduced into a particular shared or adjacent spectrum band. i am displeased that this item raises questions regarding

alternative approaches to managing spectrum interference. i am eager to hear back from the public on this and all other important questions raised in this. i thank the staff of the wireless bureau and the office of engineering technology for your hard work on this item, which i am pleased to support. >> thank you. >> today, we commence a proceeding that will allow the commission to obtain comprehensive information about innovation in the wireless industry. i am encouraged to see the commission undertake a full review of its policies and procedures to ensure that we do all that we can to continue to foster and encourage competition, innovation, and investment in the wireless sector. i am very pleased that this will be the first vote that i pass here at the commission. and i am pleased that today's notice poses important questions about the critical role that

spectrum management plays in wireless management. specifically, we hope to acquire a comprehensive understanding of developments that will promote greater access to and more efficient uses of spectrum. this notice will likely produce many recommendations for commend him -- commission action. we must be wary of implementing policies that could benchmark innovation and unintentionally hinder business models. any future action that arises out of this notice should ensure that capital investment not be deterred and that innovation continue to flourish to the benefit of the american consumer. over the past 10 years, the nation's wireless industry has witnessed unparalleled innovation and growth. the wireless industry has grown at well over 16% per year, outpacing the remainder of the economy, which has grown at a rate of little more than 3% per year. over the past seven years, wireless providers have

invested $22.8 billion to upgrade networks to provide broadband services. we stand on the verge of the next generation of wireless broadband products and the government should proceed with great caution so as to ensure the best outcome for consumers. i think the chairman for taking into account my concerns regarding the statutory authority to regulate some of these areas. while more detailed information is helpful, i would like to raise the issue of the potential burden on the interested parties. we're releasing this notice on mobile wireless competition. i question whether the stake holders will have the ability to submit substantive responses in both proceedings. in determining our next steps, we should be mindful of our past successes and continue to refrain from imposing unnecessary and burdensome regulatory obligations on industry. finally, i want to thank the staffs of the wireless

telecommunications bureau and the office of engineering and technology for this throw an comprehensive item. i look forward to contributing my views and engaging in debate with the staff, interested parties, the chairman, and my fellow commissioners. ongoing wireless market innovations, whether it is handset functionality, smart antennas, or software defined radios, are the key behind greater productivity and improved gate ways to sectors of our economy. i hope this notice will help confirm what we can do to ensure america continues to be a world leader in the next generation of wireless innovation. >> thank you. i would like to join commissioner mcdowell and my colleagues in joining the general counsel to his first meeting. he joins a truly talented and

experienced group of new leaders at the commission. . >> i know they work very hard on this exelon item. today on the side of the commission identifies innovation as core components of the fcc's mission. in the item, the commission

seeks to identify appropriate in concrete steps we can take to support and elkridge further innovation and investment in wireless and to understand better the factors that lead to innovation and investment in wireless. we are at the beginning of wireless revolution. we are in the first innings of the set of developments that will be so important to our country. with respect to mobil, it is hard to think of the sector of the communications marketplace that better illustrates the potential innovation coupled with investment. of the past decade and a half, cell phones have gone some of the accessible to a relatively small segment of the population, 3.5 million users in 1999 to a dispensable -- to an indispensable device today. we are on the verge of a second transformation from mobile voice

to mobile broadband. from hand-held devices that can do just one thing, too smart, mobil midi computers that can do almost anything. the remarkable device is that we see today in the compand the cor enthusiasm are just a start. it is essential that the u.s. become the leader in the new wireless marketplace globally. no one can really predict with confidence exactly how the revolution and broadband will ultimately affect our society. it does not take a crystal ball to affect -- to see the effects will be deep and far reaching. it will play in the central role in supporting the long-term health of our economy in creating a new jobs for american workers. it will enable all of us to be more productive and more

connected everywhere we go. it will have, i believe, positive consequences for our nation possibility to solve a pressing problems like health care, education, energy, public safety. the fcc as the agency entrusted with managing the public's airways will play a critical role in this process. this commission's decision on how spectrum is allocated, design, and licensed on how interference is defined, disputes are managed, on how the equipment is all the raise, experimental licenses are granted or denied, and a whole host of other questions discussed in today's notice will have a profound impact on how the wireless marketplace develops. the commission's history in this area holds great examples of success, such as the pcf auction, the creation of the

license regime that enabled bluetooth and other powerful innovations. there are also examples of bill years. -- examples of failures. in short, at times the commission has gotten it right, and in times wrong. today we need to make sure we get it right as we move into the broad new world of broadband. it is important to note that the nature of innovation is not constant. it is one of the reasons i am so pleased that the wireless bureau and oet have rolled up their sleeves to de to see how we can best serve the wireless marketplace. and our digital era allows for greater cooperation, rapid integration, faster time to market, these defense -- these

trends have the effect of large companies. these trends have created a new generation of innovators working with new tools on new platforms and having an extraordinary impact on our economy and society and it is just the beginning. it is great news for the communications marketplace and for communications consumers, and it is essential that the commission come to grips with this new world. take seriously the new opportunities and challenges and the relentless about developing policies that maximize and accelerate innovation and investment. unless there is any more discussion, let's proceed to a vote on this notice of inquiry. all of those in favor, say aye. tehe aye's have it. thank you very much.

i think some of you will stay for our next item. madam secretary, if you could announce the next agenda item. >> there will be a notice of inquiries for the wire this competition report. -- for the wireless competition report. [captioning performed by national captioning institute] [captions copyright national cable satellite corp. 2009] >> thank you. as we welcome our new head of office of strategic planning and policy analysis to his first commission meeting and on liebowitz -- john liebowitz, your first time on the panel. i am pleased to have you all.

>> mr. chairman, commissioners, joining me at the table for the next item are all of this odd -- paul dead, and chelsea falon. in our presentation today paul will provide an overview of the numerous commission reports on the status of competition in various telecom and media sectors and will briefly discussed that plans for a more consistent analytical approach to these reports. john will present the notice of inquiry on the mobile lists -- mobile wireless communications report. >> good morning. it is a privilege to be here to say a few words about our proposed approach going forward.

insuring competition is one of the major goals. competition benefits consumers in numerous ways. the commissioners required by congress to report on competition in various sectors of the communication industry, and takes action to promote competition, insuring member portability. the reports to the commission is required to undertake on this slide. they are performed by various bureaus. they include reports on satellite, local telephone competition, and broadband. the opportunity that we see, particularly in light of convergence is to highlight the hot competition across these areas. the reports together will represent a coherent picture of competition.

the proposed approach is stated driven, relying on facts, not assumptions. it is analytically rigorous using the best methodologies to assess competition. it will be comprehensive and realistic. it will be nuanced. examining the state of competition across the entire industry and with an appropriate customer product geographic cycle. >> hi think we would like to show a few more slides. >> this is a new approach to competition. today's announcement dealt on the wireless announcement. we are expanding the inquiry beyond the narrow scope of traditional radio service to include a wider global ecosystem -- to include a wider

global ego system. the noy asked if it is sufficient and up-to-date or whether other method should be hughes? -- shou.ld be used? we ask if this is the best framework out there so that the commission is using the most 8 f.b.r., analytical approach. he also asked about new sources of data, particularly quantitative data and how the metrics included could be more precise. we ask questions about where this market segments that were not covered in previous reports. these include inputs or infrastructure segment such as spectrum and back called, towers, and edge screen devices,

concert -- content that rely upon mobile services to reach markets. we asked for how vertical relationships across players in segments in the upstream and downstream markets affect mobile wireless competition. the general outline should be on the screen. in addition to more of the methodology will issues that i just discussed, we ask about specific issues. we ask about the relationship between ongoing investment, as well as the effects on entry and growth, how new network technologies are affecting competition, and how worthless competition there is across geographies, including differences between rural and urban areas.

we invite a wide range of people to provide comments and data in response to this. we have listed some of them on the screen. they include service providers, application and content dividers -- providers, equipment and device manufacturers, and anybody who has important data and insight to contribute that will help us in our evaluation of competition in a mobile wireless market. the bureau represents -- recommends the adoption of this. >> think you. and-- thank you. would you like to say anything now? >> i will actually carry out my pledge. i do want to thank all of you for the report, and i

particularly like the last slide, soliciting a lot of information from people. anything we can do in the way of outreach to elicit further comment on this is a public service. thank you. >> thank you. >> obviously i am supporting today's item. i am pleased that the commissioner is in the to enhance our analytical tool for asking for comments on a broad rate of issues. our task is to fold. -- two o-fold. doing so will position the commission to think through and determined credit courses of action in a wide variety of aspects. well i understand that the

reality of limited resources in a troubled economy may affect participation in the stock it, i hope interested stakeholders will not simply resubmit the pleadings filed in response to the wire this bureaus 14th report public notice, issued in may. this is especially so given that we will incorporate those earlier filings into this new pocket. just with the earlier item on innovation and wireless industry, i would refer we had a more pragmatic commenting time. i do want to thank the chairman for his leadership and the bureau and everyone involved. it was awful work. in -- it was throughful work. -- thoughtful work. >> the commission is passed with

developing policies and regulations that promote competition in the commercial mobile services are reset. developing an effective and informative analysis of the state of competition in the wireless industry and the dental gold, the promotion of competition. by expanding into enhancing the commission's analysis of current competitive conditions, we hope to gain a more granular level of data that should form the basis for sound policy towards competitive wireless mobile services. i believe that this item takes the right approach by analyzing commercials radio services mobile market. when consumers considered a capability of the devices, their focus is typically armacost -- their focus typically on the cost given that mobil providers

have integrated throughout bundling the marketing of all of these services and applications, beyond those more narrowly defined. taking a look at our analytical framework is an important piece. and i am particularly clearest -- please that we're seeking quantitative data that -- on elements that affect consumer behavior. additionally, improving our understanding of market segment and edged market while working to develop a more detailed record on spectrum holdings and alt input in the so-called are the system is a worthwhile endeavor. with an end goal of competition to benefit consumers. i also look forward to hearing more from, enters regarding

various reentry, which remain an ongoing challenge. and i think the chairman -- thank the chairman and the bureau's staff for their work on this item. >> thank you. >> thank you. i am happy to vote in favor of this notice of inquiry. today's notice of inquiry expands the scope of the annual competition report to analyze commercial mobile radio services as part of the mobile wireless market ecosystem, and i commend the staff fourth of all work in creativity. by seeking comment on how or greater sector of the wireless industry, such as infrastructure, aspect of intra -- spectrum input, we are

improving our ability to analyze the market place. i hope the interested parties, which may not have commented on the 14 competition report public notice, because the scope was limited, it will take this opportunity to participate. i am pleased that today's notice of inquiry poses important questions and questions whether we should modify the framework. we must ensure that we are buying the best data framework to adequately determined the state of the competitive environment. i have a particular interest inspector matters, and more specifically the means and tools to improve the efficiency. and therefore, i applaud that as a part of this overall inquiry we request qualitative and quantitative data to inform our analysis of how spectrum holdings and infrastructure effects overall competition. i am also pleased that this

notice of inquiry recognizes the important role that consumers played in influencing development of wireless products and services and request data and information on how their purchasing decisions affect the market place. at the same time, although there are benefits in collecting additional data, we need to recognize wheat may be seeking information that we may not be regulated. i look forward to receiving the data. along with the pleadings that are filed in response to the 14th competition public notice and engaging with the staff, interested parties, chairman, and my fellow commissioners on issues relating to competition in the wireless industry. >> thank you. i am particularly pleased by the name of this item, the wireless competition report reflects a couple of things.

this is part of the proceeding that until today we called cmrs report. it reflects a desire that we all share to make the fcc as an acronym-free as possible. part of that is clear in the time that is changing the activities that we oversee are more relevant to a wider and wider array of interesting -- other interested businesses and consumers. one of the ways we can facilitate fuller input is by all working together on a plane english of what we're doing. i know that we have unity on that. i am pleased by that. the other reason, as others have discussed, that the notice is called where this competition record is that it does go

beyond what they have looked at nearly -- narrowly. it is an important step in the process of laying a solid foundation for a predictable, fact-based activity in the wireless sector. competition is of course and corn for many reasons, including that it produces low prices and high quality for consumers. competition is also the mother of invention, which makes it especially important in advance changing marketplace like communication. today's competition notice is an essential companion to the innovation and investment notice that we discussed earlier, and vice versa. to illustrate the importance of competition, let's take a look at data showing how the wireless

industry involved when competition was involved in the mid-1990s costs. i was lucky to be here. these increased the number of wireless competitors from two to over five providers. how did this change the consumer market? between 1994 and 1999 there was a drop of 50% in the permitted price of cell phones service. at the same time, the number of subscribers more than tripled. in addition to these consumer benefits, competition drives investment and creates jobs. to investment in the industry more than tripled from 19 billion to over $70 billion during this time. industry employment tripled from 54,000 to over 155,000.

competition drives innovation. that same time that i have discussed we had it deployment of new wireless technologies and introductions of new services to the launch of the first nationwide service plan and the launch of smart devices platforms as i noted in my opening remarks, we are at a probable -- pivotal moment. this transition promises to increase the pace of innovation and investment, but only if we have an open and competitive marketplace that gives every great idea a chance to make its way into some -- make its way to consumers. i hope and expect that the new wireless competition report will help set a standard for deep

analysis of the mobile industry. we will continue to apply such an analysis of competition and industry reports produced. to succeed in this goal we will need help from outside the agency, from wireless companies, companies that make the networks, the devices, the operating systems, the applications, from consumer groups, from a wide range of participants. i am pleased that we have unanimous support to reach out as broadly as we can to seek input that the commission can exercise its responsibilities. i knowledge the concerns -- i acknowledge the concerned about the comment period. we're trying to get the balance right between doing what we need to do to promote competition and the increase will with respect to the burdens that are prophecies imposed on companies.

one of the things that i know that other bureaus will do is be cognizance of those concerns as the proceedings develop and also find ways to interact with common shares to get information to make the process more efficient through workshops that are open for using new media technology. i believe there are ways to get more comments, better comments and be more reasonable in the burdens that we place on outsiders. and i think we can have it all, a broadening our are reaching getting better data and information. the wireless industry has been a real source of progress in america. if we are vigilant about maintaining competition in the industry, we have every reason to expect great things as we move to mobile broadband and beyond. with that, unless there is any more discussion i will ask for a vote.

all of those in favor say aye. the ayes have it. madam secretary, thank you to the wireless bureau. madam secretary if you could announce the next item. >> there will be a presentation of notice of inquiry and disclosure. >> thank you. kathy the floor is yours. >> today the consumer and governmental affairs bureau represents to you and notice of inquiry on consumer information and disclosure in an effort to ensure that american consumers

have access to information they need with their communication services. i want to thank the staff as well as all the purists who have collaborated with us on this item. with me at this table today are air gunman then -- erica menyang. thank you. >> good morning. and this item examines how customers choose providers, manage the use of communications services and decide when to search providers. active and understandable information plays a central role in maintaining a well functioning market place that encourages competition, low prices and high-quality services. the commission first adopted truth and billing rules in 1999. the focus at that time was

somewhat narrow, and the commission concentrated its efforts on making telephone bills more consumer friendly. this is by requiring that they be clear, non misleading and in plain language. in 2005, it was extended to wireless phones. the commission did not expand the inquiry beyond the primary focus. since the initial inquiries were made, there have been significant changes in the market, including the introduction of many new services and products. in addition, the use of these services by consumers has increased substantially. one example is the use of mobile phones by consumers. since 1999, the subscribers have gone from 86 million to 270 million. american consumers use and spend much more on their tv and internet services. the next slide shows annual

household income expenditures on communication services rose from 1438 in 2002. this is a big increase in five short years of these significant changes half benefited consumers in many ways, they have also created new sources of consumer confusion. a recent survey by the government accountability office found that one-third of wireless phone customers to pay their own bills found unexpected charges or had problems understanding their bill. one in five customers were dissatisfied anwith their handlg of the bill. primarily because restrictions on these offers are not disclose clearly are conspicuously. recent consumer reports survey revealed that while consumers

were generally satisfied with their services, there was a high incidence of complaints about billing, support, and fees with respect to bundled services. in fact, this trend is reflected in the number of complaints filed with the commission as well. in the cable, satellite, wireless service less consumers committed 47% more complaints and 2008 than in 2007. the item before you seeks comments on the kind of information that will be more useful to consumers at each stage of the process. choosing a provider, choosing a service plan, managing use of the service plan in deciding whether and when service providers need a plan. how important is information

about providers service plans? the quality of service, the quality of equipment. second, the item seeks comment on what information consumers need when choosing a service plan for payment option. third, we see comments on the information consumers need to manage the service plans they have chosen. did consumers receive information on news it? the potential of british charges or how to detect unauthorized charges? -- the potential for overage charges or how to detect unauthorized charges? finally, in deciding whether and when to switch and 16 provider plan.

and-- an existing provider plan what tools are available to consumers to help the monitor and evaluate alternative plans? the item 6 data from communication service providers, academic research providers, and third-party analysts that can shed light on the general state of consumer awareness on each stage of the purchase of communications services. the item seeks comment on whether consumer information and disclosures of reply to to service providers beyond traditional wireless service such as broadband internet access service and subscription video services. we also see comments on has service providers currently prevent disclosure of information. the adam metz example such as its disclosure in and fired the -- the item looks at examples

such as the disclosure from service providers. the item seeks comment on whether this might assist consumers and understanding their bill. the item acknowledges the importance of technological tools that may be harnessed to empower customers in and make it easier for them to access and analyze information about communications services. we also see comments on all of these issues as they relate to people with disabilities, including excess ability of disclosure and billing information. finally, the item seeks information on consumer education measures. and how they can file informal complaints. the bureau recommends adoption of the items presented and request editorial privileges.

thank you for the opportunity to present this item to you today. >> thank you. >> i remain in silence, but i do have to region [laughter] i would ask that my previous statement be entered into the record. i would remark that may be the most telling charged that you had on that was a number of consumer complaints going up over 40% in a year's time. i think that shows how much work we have to do around here. thank you. >> thank you. >> thank you. i am delighted to approve today's order. as you know, it has been four years since read last examine the information.

there has been significant growth and change in the communications marketplace, including the introduction of new categories of service, as well as new pricing models. certainly these advances have benefited consumers in many ways. creative innovation, more choice and lower prices immediately come to mind. there is some evidence that this change has created new sources of uncertainty. given the circumstances, i appreciate the desire to take another look. as we move forward, it is critical that we keep in mind the commission's limitations. for this reason, i think the chairman and my colleagues for supporting my suggestion that we include in this inquiry, robust discussion of the commission's statutory authority and the applicability of the first amendment, as well as the long- standing precedents in this area. i would like to believe we strengthen the item with more sound legal footing and have provided a more meaningful

opportunity for comment from all. many thanks to the chairman for his leadership and all of my colleagues. i look forward to hearing more about these issues and studying them in the next weeks and months. >> today's notice reflects a fundamental tenet of an effective market place where consumers have meaningful access to information we're making choices among providers and very service plans are far more likely to make the best choice. when consumers are making informed choices, providers are driven to be innovative and offer more desirable services. consumers purchase those and everyone wins. when they are locked into long- term plans and never anticipated, see failures in service coverage, or are routinely in knowing the -- and knowing the pay for services they never intended to come at

the market place has gone askew. the consumers of communication services currently have meaningful access to a central. what are the most effective means to correct any systemic breakdown? to answer this, and related questions, we not only need information directly from consumers in groups represent their interests, but from the industry as well. some of the best data and this area are in the hands of communications service providers. many of them have developed impressive customer service operations that collect the kinds of information that could assist this commission with its quest to getting a handle on the state of the marketplace. without it, we run the risk of

developing solutions that are suboptimal. industry can provide the commission with potential solutions to consumer confusion by sharing the own best practices. it would be helpful to understand how various companies and organizations have addressed any known information deficit and what each approach has yielded. i am particularly eager to learn more about the experience of groups like ctia. is self regulation truly effective? how do we know? with such self regulation be superior to guidance from the federal government? would robust industry participation -- with a robust

industry participation, this can yield -- lasting results. we also seek guidance from academics who are experts in this field of behavioral economics. each of us may have our own perceptions about what consumers process information and what prescriptions we would offer, but for us to make enlightened judgment about what information consumers required to make sound decisions and in what form that information should appear, it is paramount that we have input from the experts who have studied these matters with rigor. finally, i applaud the chairman, and the consumer and governmental affairs bureau for actively seeking input on what the commission can do to better educate consumers. the commission must not only play an active role and an ongoing role in this process,

but be a leader in the business of protecting and empowering consumers. thank you again to the chairman and to the bureau for this timely notice, which has my full support. >> thank you. >> promoting consumer interest is one of the most important priorities that congress has given us as a commission. i take this responsibility very seriously. i am pleased to support this item. i particularly want to congratulate the staff for their fine work on this notice. we launch an inquiry that is brought to gather evidence whether they have information they need and whether providers disclose the information as they should in today's marketplace. although the commission has addressed billing issues in the past, the launch today will rightly take a look at consumer information and disclosure issues in a comprehensive approach.

information and powers consumers to make informed choices about products and services at all stages of the consumers experience. i am particularly encouraged that the item recognize is the industry's voluntary efforts to address consumer demand for more and better information about products and services. i am also pleased it includes questions about whether our existing rules continue to make sense in the current marketplace. i hope for a broad and substantive participation in the meeting so we will have a solid record on which to build a complete and accurate understanding of the market. it is important that we avoid regulating where the marketplace is actively responding to consumers' concerns. all regulation, no matter how well intentioned, imposes cost. especially at a time when our nation faces significant economic challenges, we have a responsibility to weigh the benefits against the cost, as

well as to carefully consider unintended consequences of our action. at our confirmation hearing, senator joe and said that when we impose regulation, someone in pacpays for that. as regulators, if we do not strike the right balance, we risk imposing cost and other regulatory burdens on providers that can in turn raise prices, reduced quality of service, and harm innovation. these results, although in intended -- and intended -- unintended, may negatively affect the consumer. having said that, i recognize that this only initiates an inquiry. although i will be particularly mindful of the balance of costs

is to move forward, i fully support this effort to get the fact-based evidence on which we can evaluate the current state of the marketplace. i see this inquiry as fundamental to our role as the expert agency and in our responsibility to promote consumer welfare. consumers are counting on us. with those thoughts in mind, i look forward in a renewed spirit of cooperation with congress, the chairman, my fellow commissioners, consumers and industry in the days and months ahead. thank you. >> protecting and impairing american consumers is one of the commission's most important responsibilities. i very much appreciate the work of the consumer and governmental affairs bureau with this item. you have helped advanced today the commission's efforts to insure that consumers have access to the information they need.

as we have discussed, the task of protecting and empowering consumers is the responsibility not only of the consumer bureau, but every single bureau in office at the commission. every decision this commission makes effects the day-to-day lives of american consumers. each of us who has a privilege to work at this institution is a responsible for ensuring that our agency decisions are always in the interest of consumers of communications services. we seek to ensure that consumers have the information they need to make the market work. i cannot think of a more important to be considering these issues, despite signs of stabilization in the economy, at times are still tough. many americans are learning to do more with less. a surprise charge on a monthly bill can be a real budget

buster, especially if household spending on communication grows ever larger. today's notice and the process it launches will help the commission build a record on ways to ensure that consumers understand what they're signing up for. let's face it, as we heard in the presentation, the communications marketplace is a pretty confusing place today. technology has brought us a lot of new choices, but can lead to confusion. the good news is that technology can also help and very significant ways. it can give consumers access to new information. this inquiry provides the agency with an important opportunity have to understand that the information and technology are part of the solution when it comes to finding ways to and pat -- to protect consumers. i was pleased to hear they desire to consult with other agencies to see what has worked

and what has not worked. i look forward to seeing the results of the notice. before we move to our final vote for today, and want to take a moment to thank my colleagues and their staff for their remarks. we are launching inquiries that are important parts of the commissions that mission. -- an important part of the commission possum mission. -- commission's mission. the ayes have it. that is the last of the items which we will take a vote on. we have upcoming reports now. would you announce the next one. >> thank you.

as you are sitting down, i know that you were asked to present on broadband at the july meeting and then of the commission is going to get a detailed report in september, so apologies for asking you to report again. especially given the work that the broadband team has done in the month of august. during what usually are the quiet days of august, blair levin and the broadband team have been in this firm hosting as many as three workshops per day. they have one scheduled this afternoon. i encourage everyone to stay and see and learn from that workshop. he made me promise i would wrap up this meeting up on time.

i do want to think blair levin, are broadband team and countless others who have done such an extraordinary team -- to have done such an extraordinary job on these workshops. i am particularly pleased with the innovation that the team has brought to the process itself. if i could turn it over to you. >> thank you. it is a pleasure to be in front of a full commission, which i did have the pleasure to do in july. -- did not have the pleasure to do in july. i am joined by the general manager of the ominous broadband

initiative. we will quickly review where we are in set the stage for what we will be doing in the future. and over the next few months we have set up a series of presentations to you that we hope to do. i apologize. there was an error on that. in the september meeting we will report on the actual state of play where we hope to lay out where things are and broadband and where they will be over the next few years. the next up, which will be in the november timeframe, clarifying where we think the serious problems are and what we need to address, and then we will move in to try to find solutions for those problems. we hope to be able to make a presentation and gingrey focusing on the national purpose

side and then wrapped up in february. -- we hope to be able to make a presentation in january focusing on the national purpose site. we will have workshops in september. we're also going to move to field hearings because it is important to get out of washington. we did do a number of innovations. we have used innovative techniques. i feel confident that over time these techniques will fbe better. you mentioned one that i think we may hold the record for, and i hope we continue to hold the record for, which would be the busiest month of august ever for commission staff. i hope you do not have to do that again. we had no choice.

i think it's tremendous thank you is owed to a number of people who worked extremely hard on the logistics, all of the workshops had significant step participation -- had significant staff participation. let me turn it over to eric to talk about how the workshops when spirited >> thank you. it is great to be here today. what i have been impressed by is the midwestern practicality, which the staff has brought to this task. we have all been working shoulder to shoulder, and all of the workshops. i will give you an update on those. from of workshops and. -- standpoint, these have gone

well in the fact that we have seen great progress very quickly and also have a tool where we can ask important questions and dig into details. we have had 16 workshops. we have had over 1100 people in this room. there has been 4000 people on line that have already participated year to date. we will schedule dates for the upcoming workshops very soon. cleve will have a variety of topics such as cyprus security, disability solutions, and civil rights. -- such as web security, disability solutions, and civil rights. you can go to the next slide please. we brought in a huge portfolio

of people to bring information and experiences to us. i think it is important to look at the whole portfolio. it has include many industry experts that provide broadband today and will tomorrow. it is also included, and this is the largest number, a significant number of small businesses to see broadband as a tool to grow their businesses. i think the portfolio reflects a full review of the issues. we will continue to add to it as we go forward to future workshops. next slide please. just to highlight a few people that joined us. i think it is important to look at this list to showcase not just the balance in the portfolio, but the quality of speakers. these are really great people. many have great skills and our

experts in their field, and many of which two have not been part of a proceeding before. i think that is important because as the industry changes, it impacts the economy. if you could move on to the next slide please. i will go very quickly through the grass. there are a lot of people here. books in the room and on line. -- both in the room and online. incredible interest from energy, education, and public safety. energy and education are interesting because these are topics that have not necessarily been talked about. public safety because just the importance of public safety. the numbers were extremely high. and if you go on to the next

light i will highlight the couple of our outreach activities we have done. there was an experiment with twitter and and ouour blog. we have had lots of different posts and comments. many twitter all worse -- followers. the final point i would like to make is to highlight how we can use these tools to get to a substantive input very quickly. my colleague posted oa blog on the definition of broadband and it generated 68 comments that were very good substantive comments. they did not replace the formal response is that we will get, but it certainly gets as to the

substantive issues very quickly. i think that showcases when we do this right can be very valuable. >> on the next light i am performing a task of leading into the next speaker, talking about rebuilding the -- rebooting the fcc. the new media group has been fantastic to work with. they have done a great job. as you can see in some of the reports, we're doing more online than we have ever done before. i do want to say we have very big challenges ahead of us. i could name and number of them, but let me focus on a few. the first one is go. -- first one is scope. we have a large number of workshops we need to work on.

we have a limited amount of time. 175 days left. given the scope and time it does require us to move very quickly on a number of things, which means we're for to make mistakes, but we will hopefully correct as quickly as we can. andtw two others that have becoe more clearly focused on, we have had to recreate what it would exist. there is data about various revenue streams. frankly, this institution did not have the data that it really needed to do this kind of project, which really should not be thought of in the short term but in the long term. hopefully one of the things we will do is have a better sense. one of the output will not be just replenishing what data we have come up are really thinking about what data we need over a

longer amount of time to make the right kind of policy judgments. finally, there's a certain and balance that i want to speak about. at the core of this is an effort by congress to provide what we might think of as you novelization -- broadband. the imbalance that i think we will see is there is going to be lots of demand for resources to provide the universal was asian -- universilazation. there are lots of pieces of evidence that on the demand for the resources, it will be heavy. i do not know specifically what teh ntia grant program will show us. -- i do not know specifically what the ntia grant program will

show us. let me mention another one that came up and several workshops in will be interesting this fall, and unfortunately very problematic for the world, which is the h1n1 virus. i think that will demonstrate in a very profound way the importance of having a broad band activity. -- broadband activity. i would note that i was reading in the newspaper this morning a story about a child in massachusetts who had swine flu in june and they hooked up a computer in the classroom and turned on skype so she could watch all the lessons and the classroom. i was also reading about a school system that install the same thing in preparation for

the h1n1 outbreak that we are likely to see. i think the demand for resources to make sure we do you apply some -- universalize this is important. supply is something we will deal with as women marched forward to deliver the plan to the country. the final slide talks about some of the process that's going forward. we have more workshops. we have, cycles -- comment cycles. the second tranche, which will continue into september, will have another comment cycle. we are going to incorporate all the lessons from the workshops and everything else we have learned in addition to having field hearings to give you an

overview of where we think we are. finally, let me know that people who want to have meetings with people related to this plan can now do so online. . . >> as they come on, let me briefly introduce this report. fcc reform is a matter of real urgency. no matter what the topic, if we want to get the policy right, we need to improve the fcc's

processes, it's technical and data structure, and staff. that is why i am so pleased to have mary beth richards working with our fcc reform team, consisting also of our managing director and our general counsel. i have directed them to work with all bureaus and offices and to work closely with my colleagues on the commission in this project. with this team, i am confident it will build an sec that of the -- efficiently and effectively achieved the goal -- build an fcc that officially effectively achieve the goals put forth as well as smartly serving the public. i hope it will become in excellence in government. with that, mary beth richards, i believe the floor is yoursr:?iz. thanks to each of you for your work on this project today.

>> thank you, and before we begin i want to thank you and commissioner crops for invited me back to the agency and also for the honor of helping you with this reform, mr. chairman. i look forward to working with you and the other commissioners on this project as we move forward. i spent the last seven weeks working with austin and steve and paul de saaslle behind me. what the scope of the plan should be. as an aside, i would like to a knowledge of incredible talent and expertise and technology and law and business processes that the group brings to this. i want to report on the scope of the reform plan. on your first day, mr. chairman, you tasked the homeland safety and security bureau with doing an assessment of the agency's

public safety readiness. while the agency's stance in good stead in terms of our preparedness, the review showed areas where we can make improvements. i know that admiral burnett, the head of the bureau, will report soon on the report of the very few and i do not want to steal his thunder, but i do want to mention that we have already begun implementing some of his recommendations. one was that we hold a table top exercise where senior leaders of the agency convene and go through a simulated emergency to test our response. and i know because all of you, or your staffs, participated in datthat, and there will be some beneficial things coming out of the tabletop. last month, mr. chairman, you tasked paula de salle with a

review of our data collection they're looking at the data that we need to make our decisions and the gaps between what we have and what we need. this is an area that is instrumental in our ability to be effective. over the last several weeks, mr. chairman, you and your staff have been meeting with each of the bureaus and offices to understand the issues that are before them and to get ideas on how we can improve things here at the agency. we havep9 completed half of thoe meetings and some of the improvement ideas, as mentioned sowqç far, include hiring additional staff. we are lacking in certain skill sets, especially economic and engineering areas. better and more access to technology. a better management of the work flow, including strategic

planning, planning direction, prioritization and collaboration, and with every group so far, a discussionç about deficiencies surrounding the data that we have. our data review includes an assessment of what we get, how we get it, where we get it, and how we use it and how we share it. the reviews of looking at over 400 major did of the collections -- 400 major data collections approved under the eye, as well as data that we buy from third parties and data that the commission generates internally. we look forward to providing you all with a better understanding of how the commission currently uses data and suggestions for how we might reform those activities and improve our efficiency and the foundation for our decision making. as an ancillary to our data review, we will look at our

licensing, comments and complaints filing systems to see whether they can be improved. the agency has been thinking about some of these things for quite some time. next month will begin a five year implementation schedule that will combine all of the functions of many of our current licensing applications, including the universal licensing system, the consolidated data base system, cable operations and licensing system, international bureau frequency system, experimental licensing system, and -- and 10 us direction -- structure coronation, and commission registration system into a single consolidation system. the consolidation will give the public consistent interface and will standardize business practices across bureaus and offices. there are a lot of people

throughout the agency7áy that ae working on this project. another is the electronic, and filing system, which allows the public to submit research, recede, retrieve and -- retrieve comments that are filed with the agency. the system is 10 years old and in dire need of improvement. i am happy to report that next month we will launch, first interlink, and an externally, and improved ecfgs s 3qthat wil improve research and friend of abilities, allow comments with a single submission, and allow filers to learn of comments matching certain search criteria through an art as nasa's -- treuhand rss feed -- through an rss feed.

where we have a lot of additional room for improvement is in our internal and the external communications. by this i mean, how people reach us, how we communicate what we are doing with the world, how the public participate and interacts with us, and how we learn from others and how we collaborate here at the agency. we have got some firsts in the area, the a two dozen broadband workshops that you just heard about and also, a partner in that you have done both with the columbia business school and harvard kirkman center -- harvard burk and center to get an outside research done on our behalf. we will be working to incorporate all of these techniques to rob the agencies that we do not just see the benefits in the broadband area, but everywhere.

another area where i expect to see a lot of review and improvement is related to our workforce. i would like to ask stephen, four new managing director -- our new managing director to report in this area. >> thank you, chairman and commissioners for the opportunity to make the fcc, as you say, a model and the government. it is a very exciting time to be here and be in the midst of the changes and improvements we are driving. as marybeth mentioned, two very important areas of focus for the agency are modernizing communications. we are the fcc, and improving the work force. modernization and a and begins with us understanding the brand of the fcc. we are an agency of world leading communications experts who fosterç innovation, economc

prosperity, value and a trust for the american people. as we develop our communications strategy, we want to ensure the experience the public has with the agency is consistent, and innovative, and in folks trust and expertise in everything that we do, and it is the essence of our brand and the way we will carry that forward. to that end, the first thingthie did was to reach the american public. last week, we launched the first official fcc blog and trude to recite -- twitter site where a officials can talk about what is happening with the agency on the broadband and other things. more important, it is a place for the american public's to comment on the fcc and exchanged shots in a public forum, really, for the first time. -- exchange thoughts in a public forum. in addition, we added

functionality to the fcc.gov website that allows citizens to track what is happening at the agency and getting updates without even having to visit our site. we have also been working with expert advisers in reaching out to businesses, consumers, academic and government. and our education-huge -- execution today brings a larger amount of citizens to the utilization of new media. and yet a small, but very focused, new media team at the fcc. we have directed our initial efforts to the website, but are actively working on evolving our home page to include more focus on family and children content, better information for consumers, and better use and navigation of the site itself. you can expect a major overhaul in the future on the site and

will are taking incremental steps to get there. -- and we are taking incremental steps to get there. the sec has some of the most innovative, motivated -- the fcc has some of the most innovative, motivated and intelligent people. we want to create a work environment where we train, higher, and maintain the people of the agency to be the next leaders of the fcc. we're also streamlined and are focusing on that at the sec. we are asking our leaders to save time and money -- at the fcc. the we're asking our leaders to save time and money and look at ways to cut out processes, cut out paper, find ways to be more efficient. a good example of this is, for example, if we save five minutes of time for every employee in one day, we produce 20 employees were to of work output in the

day. if we do that three or four times for every employee, we can scale our efforts and move the agency forward. you will see coming out of the agency internally, lots of processes that will automate and build efficiency in the near future. we are also looking for opportunities to green the agency and make them a great citizen of the world. one example is our enforcement bureau. the bureau plays a very important role to monitor radio spectrum interference across the country. part of this is that the enforcement bureau actually has monitoring vehicles that have antenna raised where they go in and try to triangulate on this interference. we just completed an analysis and are proud to say that as we refresh the fleet of vehicles in the enforcement bureau, will be moving to hybrid vehicles for the entire fleet. this will save not only the

environment, but save american taxpayers money as well. we are happy about that. at the heart of these improvements is the priority that we are all pleasing -- and i think i share this with all of you -- on listening to employees. there is no group better suited to reform the agency then the employees themselves. earlier this month we launched a new web site for employees to connect with each other and join in an open discussion on how we can improve our agency together. the site has exceeded our expectations. not only our employees involved in hundreds of conversations about how we can improve the fcc, but they are connecting in a very organic way toç solve ad tackle some of our biggest opportunities. just last week, a group of employees form the first evergreen task force at the agency all by connecting -- the first ever green task force at

the agency of by connecting on this site. it is a great thing to see and we are very happy about it. we will be taking this side externally in the near future. citizens can give us feedback on the fcc website and the way we communicate with agencies. we are excited to hear from everyone on how to move forward. in closing, i want to thank you for the opportunity to work at the fcc and the freedom you have given us to reform the agency and make it the best place to work in the government. our obligations and arbor synergies have never been greater and the people of this agency -- our obligations and opportunities have never been greater and the people of this agency will be instrumental in getting this done. >> we are going to be looking at how we can conduct our business and weather rules and directives are getting in the way of our

efficient and theffective and smart decision making. some of the ideas on these slides and the next sides will sound familiar to commissioner copps and mcdowell, who have been advocating their review for a while. i look forward to the input of all the commissioners on these and the other reform ideas. we have done some simple things already in the efficiency area. we used to do the daily news " on paper format, someone, when we -- the daily news clips on paper format, someone, we have the box format, until someone turned on technology loose on it -- someone said, let's do that electronically. we're looking at going to an electronic time and attendance system and to electronically

being able to pay for parking downstairs. they are little things, but when they add up, they leavd to a lot of savings. our general counsel has been looking up rules and internal directives and will be making recommendations on some changes. i will ask him to speak more on this area. >> mr. chairman and commissioners, thank you for your welcome this morning. it is referred to be back. one project is reviewing the statutes and operations and rules and policies that we have lamented to improve those statutes. we're looking at improving transparency at all stages of the commission's proceedings. the public should be able to answer some simple questions about the agency's operations without heroic measures and without requiring special access to the commission. questions like, what is pending

before the commission? it turns out that the electronic systems that we have, the system for our own borders, the system for filings, they are triggered by the doctor did a matter for the commission and not everything is pocketed. -- docketed. only major matters are docketed and other matters before the commission by volume, the public does not have on-line access to them. we're looking at what is practical to expand docketing and expand the public's access to them. in a rule making context, giving public notice involves clear and complete notices of rule making that contain specific proposals about potential actions that

the commission is considering. when the proposals that the commission is considering evolve, it involves ex party rules and enforcement at provide timely and meaningful discussions with the commission considering items before us. another simple question, what is the status of corporate proceedings that involved activities? we are working to involve access and keyç filings through key resources that are not necessary for the public to go through resources like the federal government pays for west la to get basic information about what is going on with the courts. the we have already added information to the ogc home page and have posted key filings that the commission has made in court

as well. we have also improved the time is of the commission decision making. we're reviewing the rules and policies of the commission for reviewing backlog items, such as applications for item review, applications for decisions made up the bureau and office level. rules change to focus the issue to allow more time the decision making and that could include substantive filing requirements to help focus the issues before the commission. it could include internal deadline. for example, we have a 180-day clock for merger proceedings. some of these may involve statutory changes and we are working to eve of recommendations in that area as well. with that, -- evolve

recommendations in that area as well. with that, marybeth will discuss this further. >> we are reviewing the current delegations of authority and whether/s"ritpr' things can be done at the bureau level or at the division level. additionally, we will review whether the organizational structure and corresponding functions best align with our current and future mission and the demands of the organization. and finally, we will review in the financial area, including how we oversee that -- and much of the various funds over which we have authority, including vrs and usf, how we track the way the agency is funded, and also, our contracts. moving forward, many of these

are long-term projects and will long -- last long past the title i hold. but i think is important that we review the issues, seek input from outside staff and stakeholders, look to best practices in the government' and in the private sector, prioritize our recommendations because of our budget and size constraint. we cannot do it all. and we develop short-term and long-term plans to move forward. i look forward to working with the bureaus and offices and also with you as we move forward, and also, we will report back periodically on the progress. thank you. >> marybeth, thank you. before we move on to the next item, there is no obligation of comments or remarks on this, but if any of my colleagues have comments at this stage, they

would be welcome. >> first, i would thank you for both of these reports come on broadband and fcc reform. these are two unprecedented and huge priorities of the commission. i would suggest that with the graperies facing the chairmanship and all of us as commissioners here, i am delighted that this is ongoing we want to be sure that we're on time and make sure that the next workshop get off on time. briefly on the broadband panel, i want to thank everyone for the great information and a couple of observations that blair made, i am delighted to see that you talked about the h1n1 potential pandemic.

this is something i have been wondering about for a couple of years. the concern is not so much that we are going to get sick from it, but the biggest problem with the pandemic is the fear that it generates an people stay home and do not show up to work. how does our infrastructure stay up and running if people are not going to work? whether it is broadcasters with aç vital information, or communications with companies keeping what they cannot and running. and right now, there is no plan for that. if people become scared to death, then they stay in their homes. and this is something that has happened throughout the world with recent pandemic. it is something that we need to focus on. now, the upside could be that this is the terrific sport for broadband adoption. it could create demand, but of course, and terrible human cost.

as we move forward, i look forward to working with the chairman and my colleagues and blair and all of the folks on the broadband team on field hearings and areas that are particularly on served, completely and served. i know that commissioner copps is taking a leading role on going to india and i would like to do the same thing. a lot of those places testify and served america, completely undeserved -- typifiey and servd america -- unserved america. let's first of all, do no harm, and then hopefully do some good to expand the number going forward. and with fcc reform, this is obviously something near and dear to my heart since i began talking to the commissioner eight years ago, but especially in the last few months, i want

to thank acting chairman copps and the acting chairman for starting the ball rolling. arbys the, you have outlined a couple of ideas from the macro to the micro, and i want to thank you for,+0ñ especially for getting some of the low hanging fruit, some of those things that can be done in internet time, and austin, for reacting very quickly even before his first meeting to get some of the legal calendar information up and running as well. i think that makes us more consumer friendly. and thank you for such things as we initiating after many years many of the senior -- a read-initiating after many years many of the senior advisor roosters. i hope we will continue, as mary beth a and said, to continue to take a look at these things.

to look at the potential restructuring of the agency to make sure that how we are structured really reflects the marketplace. over time, some years have been merged with other bureaus and offices and some have been eliminated. we are still a laggard. if we are still a bit stovepipe -- we are still a bit stovepip ish. we do not have time to go through all of this right now, -- and mary beth, you mentioned something about this mike out last few, and i hope it does not -- about how this might outlast you, and i hope it does not. >> commissioner baker? >> i want to associate myself with the remarks that my colleagues have made here and congratulate you, mr. chairman, for the initiatives. but the broadband team and the

reform team bring a breath of fresh air and truly, you are to be commended. you are going to make a difference in the operation of the fcc for an hour and a good time to follow. that will have its ramifications in america. so, thank you. >> thank you, and let me not add to the time of this meeting. i just want to thank each of you --úv what an extraordinary team with great backgrounds. we will have on other occasions to introduce -- an opportunity to introduce new teams in an organized way. but the three of you, plus paul de salle brinkman a good background of the different parts -- bring a good background of the different parts of government. the quality of the people is exemplified by those of you at the table and in the room today,

who have chosen to be in public service at this important time and work on these very important projects. thank you very much and it is actually a nice segue to madame secretary, our last and final presentation. qjñpresentation for today is for the commission's excellence in engineering from excellence in economic analysis, and employee of the your selections. -- of the year selections. >> well, i could not be more pleased to and the commission's meeting today with the most important thing that it can do, which is recognized and honored to excellence -- which is recognize and honor

excellence. we will be presenting at the awards in excellence and engineering, excellence in economics can'and employee of te year. we're recognizing employees not just of the year, but from a broad range of disciplines. it is so essential for the fcc to be able to succeed in its expert mission to have an employee -- to have employees from abroabroad background set e smart about history, technology, all disciplines. we are off to a good start, as marybeth noted in her presentation. there is more work to do to round of the employee base at the fcc and something we will all be working on together, but for now, we are so pleased. i will ask julie now to m.c.

the awards for the employees. how would you like to handle this? >> [inaudible] >> great, i would be thrilled to do so on behalf of all of us g5ihere at the commission. the first recipient, stephen -- >> we actually have the first three people [inaudible] [laughter] >> august is a toughdjh time, bt our work continues. chris miller and navid golshahi also not able to be here today. also on vacation, john hughleyhf

the moment security bureau. and maybe what we will ask you when to do is to store of their replies -- their applause for the end. >> [inaudible] [laughter] >> we will include you in the final list, we promise. brian morenko. james mcluckie, not here. michael mulineck. we have group awards. first, to oleson neplach and john gavelich.

next to tom warring and others. thanks to each of you. next from the public safety and hamas security bureau, and -- homeland security bureau, julie, except on behalf of all of them -- accepting on behalf of all of them. [applause] thank you so much, but wait, there's more. i would like to recognize bill

sharkie, who wasç recognized fr a paper he co-authored called "pricing strategies and welfare affects of competition between two next-generation platforms." bill, thank you. [applause] for this paper and a very distinguished career at the agency. and finally, it is my honor to announce the 2009 employee of the year awards. first, for the team award, office of the managing director, these employees to share the employee of the year award for their outstanding effort in providing a wide variety of printed materials to the sec staff working on the dtv initiative. -- the fcc/g staff working on te dtv initiative. there ought donald harvey, janet

kellie, ronnie murphrray and coe walker. please stand up so we can acknowledge your effort. and the individual award winners, again, if you are here, please stand up. david wynne, an electronic engineer in the portland, ore. field office, and second, franklin haynes, information technology specialist and system as analyst in the looseduluth. we applaud your efforts. [applause] thanks, again. i would be happy to continue to speak about the employee work -- the extraordinary work of our employees' everyday, the diversity of their backgrounds, brett of their work and commitment to public service is something that we all can learn

from. on behalf of my colleagues on the commission and the american people who we all here represent, thanks to each of the award winners this year for your duties, your work above and beyond the call of duty. we appreciate them immensely. with that, if there are no further comments or announcements -- commissioner, please. >> [inaudible] summer internship recognition to broad watson in our office, -- brad watson in our office. if he would stand up, we appreciate it. [applause] z

turn and came to our office with a tremendous background clerking in various places and also some journalistic experience having been a production assistant for nbc network news and was an intern for the "new york times" at the moscow bureau. he has a very impressive record already. i am trying to do my best because i detect a flame of public interest burning in his young heart -- [laughter] so, i want to get him back into the look service one of these days, but i want to thank him publicly for what he did for us this summer. >> thank you for doing that and it is a wonderful reminder that on behalf of us there are great in turns on the eighth floor. as i have gone around the commission and met with each of the offices i have met with some of the terrific interest across the agency. one of the things that steven

was working on was expanding and increasing the internship program. thank you to all of the interns over the summer and welcome to some starting in the fall. with that, madam secretary, would you please announce the date of the next fcc meeting. >> the next agenda of the federal communications commission will be on tuesday, september 29, 2009. >> thank you, thanks to my colleagues and with all of the presenters -- and to all of the presenters today. with that, we stand adjourned. [captioning performed by national captioning institute] [captions copyright national cable satellite corp. 2009]

>> taking you live now to massachusetts on cape cod, just down the street from the kennedy compound where we expect a motorcade in just a couple of minutes to begin to transport senator kennedy to a museum in boston. he will lie in repose and about 3:00 p.m. on friday. the motorcade should take several hours, arriving in boston and around 3:00 p.m. eastern for an hourlong tour through some of the sites in senator kennedy's career, including the jfk library, the church where his mother was

baptized and his boston offices. the motorcade is departing shortly.

>> this is in massachusetts, just down the street from the kennedy compound. the motorcade is taking senator kennedy's body to boston and should depart shortly. we will bring you live coverage of that, of course, and the rival at 4:00 p.m. eastern, about life as well. senator kennedy's body will lie in repose until friday. the memorial service in boston is scheduled for saturday at 10:30 a.m. eastern. and we will have live coverage for that as well. and his burial at arlington national cemetery later on friday at about 5:30 p.m. eastern. again, the start of the motorcade expected to get -- under way shortly.

>> the scene of some of these kennedy compound in massachusetts. -- outside the kennedy compound in massachusetts. the motorcade is willing to take senator kennedy's body to lie in repose at the museum in boston. the governor of massachusetts wayne the next up in the special election. massachusetts law requires for filling the seat of senator kennedy. the hail newspaper reporting that the law was instituted when stateç legislators thought that senator kerrey could wendwhen te presidency. the special election must be held between 145 and 160 days after the vacancy.

that window puts it between january 17 and february 1 of 2010.

>> this is in massachusetts, just down the street from the kennedy compound, awaiting the start of the motorcade to take senator kennedy's body to boston, writing later this afternoon the senator's body -- are writing later this afternoon. the senator's body will lie in repose beginning at 6:00 p.m. eastern. but more aboutour coverage this weekend, also on c-span radio, we will bring to the memorial service on friday and according to the "new york times" vice president biden and senators john kerry and john mccain are among the featured speakers, the expected speakers on friday. the funeral mass on saturday, scheduled at 10:30 a.m. eastern and is expected to last two hours. president obama will deliver a eulogy. all living former presidents are expected to be in attendance.

senator kennedy's body will be flown to arlington national cemetery for burial and that is set for 5:30 p.m. eastern on saturday. all of these events will be live on c-span and c-span radio as well.

>> senator ted kennedy's lifelong summer home down the street. this is cape cod and nantucket way in the background of your picture. the kennedy family held a private mass earlier today and we are awaiting the start of the

motorcade that will bring his body from here to boston. it will be about a four-hour trip and they will rise in the boston area around 3:00 p.m. eastern. at around 4:00 p.m. eastern, right at the kennedy museum there. my mistake, there, about a three-hour trip. we will be presented with some of the more important events of his career, including his offices. more coverage later today as well on c-span.

>> the motorcade taking senator kennedy's body to boston in the kennedy museum. it is set to get underway shortly. it is expected to arrive in boston and around 4:00 p.m. eastern. his body will lie in repose at the beginning at 6:00 p.m. eastern. coverage of these events and others throughout the weekend here on c-span. a memorial service will be held in boston on friday and a

funeral mass on saturday, set to get underway at 10:30 a.m. eastern on saturday at a church in boston that holds some 1300 people. the burial at arlington national cemetery is scheduled for later that afternoon at 5:30 p.m.

>> this is in massachusetts, cçwaiting for the start of the motorcade to take kennedy's body from thewóñ compound here to boston and the john f. kennedy library and museum. you can see vehicles getting in

place for the motorcade. senator kennedy, after being diagnosed with brain cancer a year ago, spent much of his time here in hyannisport. he began with a sacred rite of reading his newspapers, drinking his coffee and straight -- and scratching the bellies of his beloved dogs at his cape cod house, overlooking the sound. if he was up to it, he would have dinner parties around the same mahogany table where he used to eat lobster with his brothers. the motorcade is getting underway and should arrive in boston around 4:00 p.m. eastern.