after this but the anti-trust laws, consumer protection laws, the federal trade commission has a lot of authority. the federal communications commission still has a lot of authority. even under this case and merger reviews and other things. states attorneys general, the plaintiffs bar if anything is going to happen there will be massive class-action suits so consumers have a lot of arrows in their quiver to protect them. >> robert mcdowell staying with you for a second. there seems to be an issue in this case on whether the internet is a luxury or whether it's a you-- utility like so many other countries in the world perceive it and even parts of america do. so if it's a utility should it not be regulated like one. >> it's neither a luxury nor a utility. i think our communication laws need to be updated to reflect this new age. we're still built on a foundation, our laws are still built on a foundation that goes back to 1934, and really the 19th century of regulating monopolies and the market is much more dynamic and different the way it works technologically. so i think we need to have a fundamental, constructive conversat

michael powell, head of the federal communications commission under president george w. bush, is now president of the national cable television association. >> many of these state-owned local utilities have often failed because of financial hardship and rarely are offering speeds that are faster or cheaper than what's provided privately. even in glasgow, kentucky the top speed is only 6 megabits per second for $36. that's hardly exceptional. it's certainly no better than what's being provided in the private market. >> reporter: where average speeds are three times as fast, claims powell and prices are falling, not rising. >> the price per megabit per second has decreased 87% since 1999. in fact in 2010, the federal communications commission conducted a survey of american citizens and 93% of respondents said they were very satisfied with their broadband experience. many cable companies have recently announced very substantial increases in speed with no accompanying increase in price. so the evidence suggests that consumers are getting real value in broadband in the united

that rule throw there is movement in congress to try to overturn that action by the federal communications commissione federa federal communicatios commission is also revoking rules that prohibit the merger of broadcasters over the federally controlled air waves and they're pulling back rules that have been in place in some cases decades to allow more consolidation of the broadcasters in the united states. >> sreenivasan: i should point out several industries and companies are happy about the rule changes. this is the first year c.e.o.s said regulations are not top of mind for what could affect their bottle lines. >> that's certainly the case, and is welcomed by the business community and businesses cite it as an explanation as to why they're able to make expansion decisions now because they feel fewer rules will be thrown at hethem. it has brought more predictability for the business community in terms of estimating how much it will cost to comply with the whole range of federal rules. we did a piece that looked at apple farmers, and the many, many layers of rules the federal government has. at time

. >> ifill: the chairman of the federal communications commission cheered consumer advocates and angeredable industry today, with a long- awaited announcement imposing new rules on the internet service providers. if adopted, the proposal, known as net neutrality, would be designed to make sure internet traffic is treated equally. the full commission votes later this month. it would, forbid companies from blocking access to legal broadband content ban practices that slow internet streaming and prohibit companies from paying cable providers to speed delivery. more than four million commenters have weighed in on this debate at the f.c.c. during the past year, sometimes crashing servers. last month, president obama endorsed this approach as well. joining me now to discuss the decision is f.c.c. chairman tom wheeler. welcome and thank you. >> thank you, gwen. >> ifill: do you see your proposal as a way of constraining commercial interests or expanding consumer interests? >> i think it is a balance of both, and that's been the challenge through it palm you want to make sure that you've got pro

today the federal communications commission took a major and controversial step toward answering some of those questions, approving its first rules for internet access, often referred to as net neutrality. here to explain is cecilia kang, technology reporter for the "washington post." welcome to you. let's define the terms first because we use that sort of ugly term net neutrality. >> it is certainly ugly. it makes one want to fall asleep. net neutrality is the idea-- and it's a very basic principle-- that a consumer should be able to access any internet service, any internet content that they choose on... to their liking, on their wireless phone, on their home computer, whatever they want to access they should have the ability to access unimpeded. no fast lanes, no slow lanes. no content that is blocked. that means if you want to access a facebook application on your cell phone you should be able to. if you want to do a google search on your computer at home, you should be able to. it should not be the... the result should not be any slower or faster than say microsoft. >> brown: bef

today the wireless industry, under pressure from the federal communications commission, announced new voluntary guidelines requiring companies to send customers alerts before they exceed their limits. the f.c.c. proposed such rules last year, then held off on implementing them under the new agreement. julius genachowski is the chair of the f.c.c., and he joins me now. mr. chairman, what's bill shock? and what was the fcc looking for in the way of customer protection? >> well, bill shock is what happens when you open up your bill at the end of the month and you see a very, very large charge that comes from exceeding one of those limits that you just mentioned. >> suarez: do we have any reliable numbers on how often people do this over the course of a year? >> we've done a survey. consumers union did a survey last year. as many as one out of five americans, literally tens of millions of americans experience bill shock, charges of hundreds or even thousands of dollars that come from unknowingly exceeding data limits or traveling to a foreign country and incurring very high international

. >> thank you very much as well >> ifill: the federal communications commission took a big step forward toward changing the rules that govern an open internet. at stake: a widely cherished principle called net neutrality. the f.c.c. voted three-to-one to allow providers to charge for faster access in how content is prioritized and delivered. during a packed meeting interrupted at times by protesters, f.c.c. chairman tom wheeler said the internet could remain open as long as broadband providers do not offer access that is commercially unreasonable. >> as i said there is one internet it must be fast, it must be robust, and it must be open. the speed and quality of the connection the consumer purchases must be unaffected by what content he or she is using. the prospect of a gatekeeper choosing winners and losers on the internet is unacceptable. >> ifill: cecilia kang of the washington post was there today. and she's back with us to help explain the changes the f.c.c. has planned. explain the debate that was behind this 3-2 vote. >> well, the debate behind 39-2 vote is really what truly in

cell phones, it's sure to face federal communications commission scrutiny over network access and justice department concerns over competition. >> suarez: for more now about the deal and what it means for consumers, we're joined by jeffrey silva, a senior policy director for medley global advisors, a financial consulting firm that works with telecom companies. prior to that, he had spent more than 20 years covering the industry as a reporter. and gigi sohn is president and co-founder of public knowledge, a non-profit group focusing on consumers and communication concerns in the digital age. let's start with price. what's the immediate impact on consumers if this deal goes through, not only the customers of the two companies in question, but anyone who has a cell phone account. gigi? >> we're talking about the combination of the second largest and fourth largest wireless carrier. national wireless carrier. when you have that kind of accommodation that reduces competition. when you reduce competitioning it reduces consumer choice. it raises prices. it reduces innovation. importantly for thi

. >> woodruff: in the day's other news, the federal communications commission rolled back obama-era rules that safeguarded equal access to the internet. the so-called "net neutrality" guidelines were repealed in a three to two vote along party lines. the decision grants more power to internet providers, allowing them to prioritize certain websites over others. f.c.c. chairman ajit pai said the move will also increase competition. >> by removing heavy handed regulations that stand in the way of deploying digital infrastructure, especially in rural and low income urban areas, i'm also confident that more consumers will enjoy better, faster and cheaper internet access. >> woodruff: new york's attorney general said he'll lead a multi- state lawsuit seeking to reverse the f.c.c.'s decision. the devastating "thomas fire" in southern california is now the fourth largest in the state's history. the wildfire has already scorched more than 242,000 acres, and still threatens communities north of los angeles. it's now 30% contained. and today it claimed a second life, a firefighter, who died battling

the new head of the fcc, the federal communications commission, wants to clear away regulations about who controls and polices the flow of content on the internet. william brangham explains. >> brangham: we're talking here about what's known as net neutrality, not the easiest concept to grasp, so bear with me. almost all of us in america get our internet access via one main provider-- these are the telecom and cable giants like verizon, comcast, charter, time warner-- they provide the infrastructure that delivers the bounty of the web to our homes and phones: sites and apps like google, netflix, facebook, instagram, you name it. the telecoms build the highway, the others guys are like the cars traveling that highway. the idea of net neutrality is that the telecoms have to treat that highway as an open road-- they can't pick and choose which websites or services get to you faster or slower. the fear is that if they do have that power, they'll be tempted to favor their content, their sites, their own vides over a competitors. but the telecoms argue that's not fair, they should be able t

the federal communications commission is now giving phone companies more power to block or prevent robocalls if consumers request it. tom wheeler is the chairman of the f.c.c., and he joins me now. tom wheeler joins me now. welcome back to the prom. >> hello, judy. >> woodruff: so how is this rule different than the previous one dealing with robocalls? >> the original rule is the result of a 1991 act of congress. 24 years ago the world was a little different in terms of technology. the people who were making the calls that interrupted your dinner at that point in time were literally sitting down and dialing. and that technology, that approach got replaced by new technology that's computerized, like everything else. so they just feed a list of numbers in and all of a sudden a list of calls get made. and our rules didn't keep pace with that. so people were arguing that they had legal right to do this, and we just said simply, stop. the consumer needs to be the one who is in charge. the consumer needs to give consent that they want to be called, or if they are called and haven't given consent,

kennedy's head of the federal communications commission newt min ow gave his first major speech declaringca's television programming a vast waste land. minow was addressing what he saw as a missed opportunity of what television could offer, there were only three networks then, all commercial. minow's phrase became entrenched in american culture. and it helped lead to the genesis of pbs. the television landscape has changed dramically since hen, newt minow joins me now to reflect on that legacy. and he is joined by two of his three remarkable daughters, they are peculiar that minow and mary minow. and we say hello to them at the same time. it was 1961, you were just what, 35 year old, precocious head of the federal communications imhition commission, television was exploding with americans but something you saw bothered you. >> what bothered me was we were wasting this extraordinary technology. i was particularly concerned about children. children were spending por time with television than they were in school. and they were learning that too often, that the solution to a problem was a sma

the federal communications commissioned moday to create a three digit number -- 988 for reaching a national hotline. it is dtined to replace the 10 digit number. the changeover could take months to implement. 10 former national football league players have been charged with defrauding an nfl health care program. the justice department says they submitted health claims for medical expenses not covered by insurance. the alleged fraud resulted in over $3 billion paid out. >> a group o players brazenly defrauded the plan by seeking reimbursement or expensive medi purchased ichluding oxygen bers, ultrasound machines used to conduct womena's health and even electromagnetic therapy devices. stephanie: four of the former players were arrested this morning and the others also a to torrender. stilome, on the "newshour" with judy wdruff, how the conservative party wins its a guest majority in decades. the dueling bills in congress aimed at lowering the price of prescription drugs. two former debt collectors embark on an ambitiono wipe out t debt of those that could not pay and much more. ♪ >> this is

the two federal agencies involved, the fcc, federal communications commission, and the f.a.a., the federalifferent places here. what's happened? why hasn't it been resolved? >> the aviation community says this is a big problem, and the communication industry says that the aviation industry is focused on worst case scenarios that are improbable. well, that's what the aviation industry does. so there's a clash of cultures here. the concerns are potentially real. these frequencies tend to spill outside of their lanes, and it's very important that there are specific filters on the devices so they don'pick up stray signals, giving bad indications to the pilots. >> woodruff: so, i mean, you think about all this, surely the f.a.a. considered all this as they were moving forward. >> well, the f.a.a. was considering it, but the f.c.c. was pushing as well and it was a little bit of a game of chicken to see who was going to fix the problem. would the transmitters on the ground be modified in some fashion, the power reduce, antennas reaimed, bubbles around airport, or would the airlines have to fix al

there's a major challenge to the federal communications commission's regulation of indecency on televisionnd also a first amendment challenge involving the federal law known as the stolen valor act. >> warner: and i understand that there's also a case that would give the court an opportunity, perhaps, to touch on citizens united. >> the court on june 14 is going to take its first look at an appeal, a petition, that's been filed by three corporations who are challenging the monroe supreme court's decision that its law banning corporate independent expenditures survives despite the supreme court's ruling in citizens united. it's going to be very interesting to watch how that plays out.ld >> warner: especially in an election year. >> absolutely. warner: marcia coyle, thanks so much. >> my pleasure. >> brown: next, we begin a series about teachers, testing and accountability in public schools. it's an issue at the center of some major reform efforts and battles in school districts across the country. our first part includes the views of one of the more outspoken reformers and players in this d

earlier this year, the federal communications commission proposed allowing the creation of faster andwer traffic lanes on the web. companies could charge more for faster delivery. today was the last day for comments. the issue may sound arcane, but it has apparently struck a chord. more than three million comments have been registered at the fcc, so far. hari sreenivasan, in our new york studios, turns to a well- known tech writer and columnist to find out why. >> sreenivasan: joining me is david poge of yahoo tech. imagine without the sock puppets, the net neutrality debay. what is it? >> the idea that all internet traffic should be equivalent. it shouldn't matter whether you're netflix or a startup. the carriers of your internet signal, come cast or so on, should treat it all the same. just as if they can't presume that you will say on your phone call. all internet traffic is treated and charged the same. >> sreenivasan: that's the status quo. >> yes. the cable companies and like verizon and comcast say ne netfx is responsible of 30% of all data going on all pikes. there are no curr

. >> the federal communications commission estimates that nearly 14.5 million americans lack reliableroadband access. but many say the way the f.c.c. counts is highly inaccurate and paints an overly rosy picture. brooned band now estimates the numbers of disconnected americans at 42 million. about half the country have slow or unreliable internet. >> we're seeing losses to kids who are not connected to any type of schooling. among african-american or latina kids it's upwards of a year where they will not have cognitive retention of basic skills. that's a travis si. what we're suggesting is the regurgetation where young people do not have the resources to survive. >> across the country, people like kathy trempable have been trying to address this through patchwork solutions like mobile hot spots. wi-fi buses and anyone-school truxstrubblings for those who can't connect. >> you're coming up with mandate solutions that fill blind spots that is reflective of the path that we have broken our social contract when it comes to having everyone connected. >> she and others hope that with the pa

recent study by the federal communications commission showed that 4% of americans, mostly in rural areas, still don't have access to high-speed internet. and among the rest who do have access, about a third, some 93 million americans, have chosen not to be connected with most citing cost and lack of digital literacy as the main reasons. >> it becomes like any other utility. water, electricity. >> brown: as part of last year's stimulus bill congressman dated that the fcc come up with a plan to expand broadband speed and reach in the u.s. for many months, the agency has held a series of forums to hear and debate ideas. >> what's the minimum set of applications that we expect every united states household to be able to have access to? >> brown: some public interest groups have called for the fcc to take a stronger regulatory hand and treat internet service providers or companies that sell access to the internet more like phone companies. >> broadband innovation and investment.... >> brown: a number of those providers recently responded with tv ads to fend off any new regulation on the priva

the chair of the federal communications commission, ajit pai, announced it today.said the wireless carriers committed to build a next- generation 5network within six years. the merger still needs approval from the full f.c.c. and the justice department and on wall street, u.s. actions against huawei sent tech stocksr and thder market lower. the dow jones industrial average lost 84 points to close below 25,680. the nasdaq fell nearly 114 points. and the s&p 500 slipped 19. still to comon the "newshour," my interview with former director of national intelligence, james clapper; undocunted immigrants brought to the u.s. as children and deported to counies they barely remember; a devastating ebola outbreak could get worse as doctors threaten to go on strike, and much more. >> woodruff: he d access to the earliest signs russia was interfering in the 2016 presidential election. he is now a frequent critic of president trump and target of his wrath. james clapper served as director of national intelligence. his latest book, "facts and fears: hard truths from a life in int

. >> reporter: tom wheeler who heads the federal communications commission led an effort to overall the program by giving districts like calhoun county the options to build fiber networks of their own pressuring local telecoms to offer better deals. >> school administrators said i'm being told it's techniques pensive or can't be built and i'm not putting up with it, but the s.e.c. will help you take that situation in your hands by funding it, that's a game changer. >> reporter: calhoun county became the test case rents recently, one of the first districts to seek federal funds to build a new fiber network that included the option of a build-out of its own, mike moore is superintendent of schools. >> all of these providers and all start popping up and saying, well, maybe we can do this, and maybe we can do that, but i don't think until we talked about really building our own line and putting the bids out, i don't really think they were serious. >> reporter: as it turned out, schools here won't have to build their own network, by inviting outside companies to bid on the job or come in wit

the federal communications commission is moving again at cracking down on robocalls. commissions voted today to let phone companies block unwanted calls. spammers make an estimated five billion sucntcalls every nearly double the total of just two years ago. optimism that negotiators will make progress in the u.s.-mexico tariff talks drove stogher on wall street today. the dojones industrial average jumped 181 points to close above 25,720. the nasdaq rose 40 points, and the s&p 500 add 17. and, in japan, the minister of health has dismissed calls to ban current requirements that women wear high heels at work. he said today that such attire is "necessary and appropriate." more than 20,000 women in japan have signed an online petition to ban mandates for high heels. the campaign is known as "hashtag koo-too," a play on the japanese words for "shoe" and "pain." ill to come on the newshour: remembering the allied invasion of normandy, 75 years ago today. what the trump administration is demanding, to stop the looming tariffs on mexican imports. the many democratic predenti

the federal communications commission wants to let them bum elsewhere-- and possibly, get a better priceent today also ordered up a report on increasing competition in the industry. on wall street today, the dow jones industrial average lost about 29 points to close at 17,897. the nasdaq fell seven, and the s&p 500 slid two. for the week, all three indexes added nearly 2%. and, it is must-see tv-- in norway-- for those seeking relief from fast-paced daily life. on may 20, public broadcaster nrk will televise the world's strongest tidal current-- for 12 hours-- live and uninterrupted. it is a strait just north of the arctic circle, where sea water flows at 25 miles an hour. previous shows included footage of a train ride, a canal cruise and a knitting tutorial-- and all were viewer hits. maybe we should try that here. still to come on the newshour:st microsoft's president explains why his company is suing the department of justice; o g.o.p. chair reince priebus on the rules for selecting a presidential nominee; mark shields and david brooks take on the week's news; a preview of the pope's