when you look at this fcc, what do you see? >> guest: i've always enjoyed working with fcc commissioners from both parties, and we're certainly willing to work with chairman genachowski and the current members. i know them all. they're wonderful and decent people -- >> host: sure, but what direction do you see them heading? >> guest: i see them true trying to think the forwardly and how to provide wi-fi universeally to everyone, and i don't disagree with that objective. what i would disagree with is if it becomes so activist that they simply sacrifice tv for the sake of a mobile phone. i love my mobile phones, but we all need our tvs for information, entertain thement, news, sports, emergency services. it's a pretty important feature in american life, and i think it ought to have a bright future, and i don't -- after all the billions that have been spent, i think it would be politically impossible for them to sell on capitol hill a proposal that said, well, even though you relied upon the digital transition, never mind. i don't

our guest is fcc commissioner robert mcdowell. >> host: fcc commissioner robert mcdowell is the senior republican on the federal communications commission, and he is our guest this week on "the communicators." commissioner mcdowell, we're about a month away from a national broadband plan being delivered -- >> guest: h 3 days. >> host: 43 days at this taping, being delivered from the fcc. can you give us an update on what is in that plan, what you've seen and how it's developing? >> >> guest: what we've had since the middle of the last year a team that have been brought in from the outside, others are internal. the commission has done a terrific job of having numerous hearings and workshops and issuing public notices to solicit opinion and facts and analyses on just about every possible angle you can think of regarding how broadband might affect america and what can we do as a country to make broadband more ubiquitous and more available for folks all throughout the country? so fatter and faster pipes for more americans. our broadband team has given us a number of briefings over the past

first, you know, we applaud the focus the fcc has on broadband deployment. that is exactly the frame we would use. in the last 25 years, we've dropped from, you know, the lead in terms of the global economy and broadband take-up and speeds to 15th now in terms of broadband penetration. of the 30 oecd economies. and we're actually near the bottom in terms of speed. so we've been running a campaign called speed matters for the last two years across the country, get people aware of speed and why it matters and, obviously, bring that message to the fcc and to congress as well that, you know, we are dropping, dropping, dropping, and we would say that communications is part of infrastructure in the same way electricity, like a new grid or, you know, water, even roads, obviously. and in terms of economic development in the 21st century, it's critical that we have # 1st century -- 21st century internet, not 20th century. >> host: your speed matters project shows the u.s. in terms of speed that's 5 megabits per second versus 20 in south korea. does that really make a

we pushed the fcc to raise the speed. they rated to one meg. i don't know where it sits right now but is around one making each direction. again, in japan the goal they sat five years ago was 500 meg service across japan. i mean, when to aim higher and set goals that keep us at peace with the rest of the world. and then i think we need to take whatever funds we have, whether it is the usf or stimulus money and match it in some kind of way to get the private sector investment we need as well. >> host: could you see an increase in the usf? >> guest: you could do it in increasing usf. usf is funded by all of us. well, i mean to get more funding than usf. essentially it is a tax to those whose telecom service. so we are hesitant in a recession to sort of tax ourselves or advocate increased taxes here at it i think the first thing is to map out where we need to go and then sorted do some version like the reverse spectrum that this is an option to get speed where we need and match up public resources and other incentives. again, that's where the tax

. >> stuart benjamin, what is your job with the fcc? >> i am the inaugural, distinguished scholar in residence. i provide some legal advice as a law professor in dealing with first amendment issues, and more broadly, a big part of my job is to make sure that we are looking at all the arguments and counter arguments for any given procedure. we are considering all the various options before something gets out the door. the idea is that the more diverging views we can have inside the commission,Ñi the better the process will be. >> a one-man think tank? >> there is also a chief economist to place a similar role. i work within the office of special plans and policies, whose role is also to try to provide the best kind of background and input that it can. my role in particular is to see if there are things we have not thought about that that we should be thinking about. there are specific legal things that i work on, telecommunications law, communications law, an administrative law. the idea is that i might be able to bring to bear some argu

so i really applaud the fcc for their action on the tower site in. the two bills we are looking at today are the beginning of the process and end of the process. the spectrum inventory build looks at the possible spectrum out there, how it is being used and will spectrum could be identified for higher and better use perhaps. and then your bill comes in at the end of the process and says here is a more orderly fashion to move the current spectrum holders to the new spectrum and do it in a more efficient and effective way and do it faster. so both of these bills are good bills and go a long way to improve the process of acquiring additional spectrum which the wireless industry is sorely going to need in the years to come. >> i want to make sure i didn't miss any one -- i didn't hear any good or even not so good constructive criticism of our bill and i want to make sure i haven't missed any. does anyone have suggestions on the bill i am working with mr. upton on that you would suggest to improve the product? we are always looking for good suggestions. t

that is the frame we would use -- we applaud the focus the fcc has. we have been running a program called "speed matters." we would say that communications is part of infrastructure in the same way as electricity or water and roads. in terms of economic development in the 21st century, it is critical that we have 21st century internet. >> your project shows 5 megabits per second average download versus that in korea. >> it makes a big difference, on the economic side as well as in residence. we would stress is upstream and not just downstream. you need to be able to upstream speed matters as well. there are lots of examples why it matters. for high-definition video connection, you need six or seven megs just for that. things like c-span or not just entertainment. as we look forward to where we are headed, more importantly than in eight residents, it is in the community. high-speed internet connections affect the entire economy of the state. there is no connection in towns in west virginia, for example. the road is the internet as well as the road that

and therefore his fcc repeal that by a 4-1 vote back then. but it was the best thing that ever happened to free speech in america. for the first time broadcasters were on an equal plane with our print brother. >> host: after the end of the fairness doctrine in 1987 what happened to the radio airwaves? what kind of metamorphosis did you see? >> guest: it was instant. i was involved in a talk radio station in seattle, washington back in 1988 cold king 1090, a very liberal radio station i might add. we can get into that story a little bit later, but immediately the first one out of the gate was rush limbaugh. rush fully understood what it was to be able to opinionated freely on the airwaves when he was in sacramento, california. he had to live under the fairness doctrine guidelines. when he located in sacramento he told me that it was amazing that there was nobody doing political talk and he said oh, this is a cakewalk. my word, what fun this is going to be. then he had to succumb to the fairness doctrine by giving an hour of the program to some

the fcc's efforts to expand broadband spectrum.ter, a look at this rick -- the supreme court's recent ruling to ease limits on campaign spending by corporations. >> sunday on "prime minister's questions," british prime minister gordon brown talks about the government relief efforts in haiti and the creation of the united nations reconstruction agency to respond to future disasters. that is at 9:00 p.m. eastern here on c-span. >> each year, the washington center brings thousands of students to washington d.c. to experience the workings of our government firsthand. this weekend, they will discuss politics, government, and their futures. sunday night at 8 on c-span. >> this week, a conversation with the new president of the national association of broadcasters, a former oregon senator gordon smith. se6 to 2008. our guest reporter is the washington bureau chief of broadcasting and cable magazine. i want to start with the supreme court decision this week. i will ask you what their ruling on campaign finance means to your members. >> i p

we need to make sure we have worked technical expertise at the fcc. we have some wonderful engineers on staff, some of the best and brightest in the world. some of them are reaching retirement age, and we need to be able to compete with the private sector to attract folks to come to the commission. if anyone is watching, please send in your resume to the sec. we need you to donate to years of life to the public sector. i have known stuart benjamin for a number of years. he taught at my all modern, duke university -- he taught at my alma mater. he is there to help was be a liaison between the commission and the academic community. he is an expert on first amendment law. >> you will be at ces later this week. what will you be looking at and how will you be doing what you see on the floor through a policy lynns? >> i like to go to the consumer electronics show because it is me one-stop shopping for what is coming over the horizon. i will be looking at whatever they presented me. there is always a surprise there. probably a week from now we should be talk

the broadcasters and petitioners here think pacifica is the end of the fcc regulation and the fcc thinksit is the beginning. that is what we have to decide. >> right, and the argument is that like so many plants so far away, which may no longer exist but whose light still comes to the earth, it may not even be there and the supreme court will rule on that. >> i think you are imposing too much on this. we don't have to decide that pacific that is the end rather than the beginning. i mean it seems to me, the issue that is being placed by you before us is whether what there is now is illegal under the constitution. we are not being asked and it would be proper for us to rule on all possible regimens that the fcc might devise. the only one that is before us is the one that we have now. you have arguments to us that that one is unconstitutional. i don't see it as appropriate for myself or for us to go and state whether the limits of the fcc's powers. maybe they can devise, if we agree with you and find that the present one is no good, maybe they can come up with another one that is fine, but

when you look at this fcc, what do you see? >> guest: i've always enjoyed working with the fcc commissioners from both parties and we're certainly willing to work with chairman jenna janowski in the current members. i know them all and they are wonderful and decent people. i see them trying to think for the end figure out how to provide wi-fi universally to everyone and i don't disagree with that objective. what i would disagree with is that it becomes so at this that they simply sacrificed tv for the sake of a mobile phone. i love my mobile phone, but we all made our tvs for information, entertainment, news, sports, emergency services. it's a pretty important feature in american life and i think it ought to have a bright future and after all the billions that have been spent, i think it would be politically impossible for them to sell on capitol hill a proposal that says, well even though you relied upon the digital transition, nevermind. i don't think that is a proposal that has much promise. >> host: retransmission consent i

the fcc counsel said that the commission found this and that. that would have been of some consequence. under control and the supreme court process president, the law is subject to independent review by the court. that includes not only legal theories but factual support. insofar as this court must examine what is really the assertion of the commission's collier in this case as if this works well enough, or at all, it is up to this court to make a determination of the record in that respect to >> i think i am correct in respect to the v-chip that the commission gave a reason that parents have found it difficult to use and so they do not use it. is it appropriate for parents who could protect their children by using the v-chip to simply not learn how to use it and thereby imposed on the rest of the country not to hear the programming that the rest of the country would like to hear? >> absolutely not. what the supreme court has said again and again is that when that is the nature of the government's problem, the government's remedy lies in trying

well, the -- actually, the fcc is supposed to be an independent agency, but i'm told by enough people that i believe that it's true that fowler was talked to by reagan and that he reversed -- he did reverse his position. there's no question that he reversed his position because he had made his position public, and then he reversed it. and i guess he would say he did it on the merits. c-span: here's a picture of walter pidgeon and ronald reagan. do you remember what year this might have been? >> guest: well, i don't. c-span: who was walter pidgeon? >> guest: walter pidgeon was an actor who was very, very successful. maybe many of our watchers remember him. but very successful in the '40s, '50s, '60s. and he was important in this story because when wasserman wanted to go into the tv production business, he was already -- mca was the most powerful agency, by far. they represented, oh, just 80 percent of the big stars. you name them -- bette davis, joan crawford, jimmy stewart, clark gable, on and on. he wanted to go into the tv production business, as well, and he saw -- while the studio

this inventory and analysis will be performed jointly by the ntia and fcc and these agencies and our legislation are charged with the responsibility of looking at the entire wireless spectrum and determining the current use and also identifying possible components of the spectrum that could be candidates for reallocation for commercial use or possibly could be candidates for spectrum sharing using some of the new and very efficient spectrum sharing technologies in order to maximize the efficiency of spectrum use. we provide one year for the agencies to conduct this inventory and when it is presented along with its recommendations, it will provide a highly useful blueprint to the congress for taking steps to ensure we will be able to have the spectrum available for the applications. i would note last year for the first time the number of homes that do not have a land line service but have so phones exceeded the number of homes that do not have self owns the plant line service for the first time and the disparity will continue to grow as more and more homes become wireless more and mor

our guest is fcc commissioner robert mcdowell. >> robert mcdowell is our guest this week on "the communicators ." we are about a month away from a national broadband plan being delivered. can you give us an update on what is in that plan, what you have seen, and how it is developing? >> we have had a team since the middle of last year that has been brought in some from outside and some are internal. we are soliciting opinions and backs and analyses on just about every possible angle of how broad ban might affect america and what can we do as a country to make broadband work available. our broadband team has given us a number of briefings over the past few months. it comes down to a matter of supply and demand, as simple as that. what can we do to make the existing pipes that serve the broadband connections fatter and faster for americans and more affordable? what can we do to help americans want to subscribe more to broadband? we have not yet seen the draft detailed plan. we have only seen

i find it interesting that the fcc investigated him for two years about a book he wrote.r books should be banned or illegal or books are not part of our debate, whether by mr. soros or any individual, i think that we have a real problem. guest: let me correct the caller. george soros is not a communist. he stands up for freedom and an open society. the second thing is, we needÑi o distinguish these different types of organizations, and your conflated them. use a handgun control inc., should they have the right to be involved in policy -- politics. massachusetts citizens for life. corporations there are set up for political and ideological purposes have the right to be involved in politics. so for-profit corporations have never been treated the same way. and there is an unbroken line of precedent going up until yesterday saying for-profit corporations, look, they are setup for economic purposes. they have been a vehicle for wealth accumulation. but there are extraordinary dangers when you cross over from allowing it to be an economic entity engaged in commerce and competit

>> guest: how could i be against pretty more expertise to the fcc? especially because mark warner is introducing the bill. i think that's a terrific thing and we do need to make sure that we have worked technical ideas at the fcc. a lot of our engineers on staff, some of the best and brightest in the world, but some of them are reaching retirement age and we need to be able to compete with the private sector to attract folks to come to the commission. if anyone is out there watching, please send in your resume to the fcc. we need you to donate a few years of her time to public service. it's very important. >> host: what is the role of stuart benjamin? >> guest: i've known him for a number of years and he talked to university. he was our very first scholar in residence. i let him speak for himself as his actual role. but he is there anything to help us be a liaison between the commission in the academic community at a minimum. he is an expert on first amendment law noticed terrific to have him onboard. he is a great guy. >> host: and a final question

their big focus is the fcc. the fcc. a light goes on there a lot goes on the impacts their company. and their business. at the same time they have a .eparate set of congressional offices before the house and egulte. fairly common on those fairly regulated companies. egcrosoft is a little bit of a hybrid much closer to the third legislative regulatory, because we are not heavily regulated, we set it up as political legislative lobbyists who lobby the hill. and we have a policy specialist and they came up with our legislative lobbyists to lobby on any given issue all around town. if there is a pass reform legislation before the house and senate, if the bill was moving in the senate side and on that particular day you are lobbying the majority staff on the senate judiciary committee the majority staff would be the democratic side, we have four lobbyists in the quadrants. we have senate democrat, senate republican, house democrat and republican, they work with their policy colleagues and patent reform attorney and they would go in and lobby these issues. this allows us in microsoft to w

if anyone's watching, please sent in your resumÉ to the fcc.we need you to donate a few years of your life to public service. it's very important. >> host: and what is the role of stuart benjamin? >> guest: i've known him for a number of years. he went to, he taught at my alma mater, duke university, and is on a leave of absence there as our very first scholar in residence. and i will let him speak for himself as to his actual role, but he is there to, i think, to help us be a liaison between the commission and the academic community at a minimum. he's an expert on first amendment law, and he's a great guy. >> host: final question from cecilia kang. >> host: sure. you'll be at the consumer electronics show, and how will you be viewing what you see on the floor through a policy lens? >> guest: well, i like to go because it gives me very efficient one-stop shopping for what's.coming over the horizon for consumers over the next year or two, and i'll be looking at whatever they present to me. there's always a surprise there, so probably, you know,

the contention from chairman dugan of the fcc that this wasn't a problem with the national banks. in facts national banks funded 21 one-quarter of the 25 largest sub-prime issuers that were doing business in the lead up to the crisis and it was national banks and federal fritz and other of their subsidiaries that were responsible for almost 32% of the sub-prime mortgage loans, 41% of the alt-a loans in 51% of the pay option an interest only arms that were sold and that is for 2006 and i believe that information comes from, i will find where it comes from for you. so, it has been recognized that yes some states have very few resources, and so while the enforcement actions are taking place again they are a drop in the bucket in terms of the entire problem but that doesn't mean of forsen actions were not taking place and when i look across the country, we see that enforcement actions were taking place against every single participant in the chain. this was taking place at the state level in the can not being supported by the federal regulators and in fact oftentimes been challenged b

schapiro you can correct me if i am wrong that by the end of the date the fcic and the fcc will enterinto essentially the same agreement that you will sign? >> that is exactly right. >> thank you. my understanding also and ms. bair he can correct me if i am wrong, the fdic will reach the same written agreement with the necessary modifications given the differences in the jurisdictions that you have. is that correct? >> yes sir, that is correct. >> thank you. i assume you know the question that i am going to ask you mr. turnage general. >> and you may know the answer. >> well, if it is c.s then we can move forward. although there has been cooperation and clearly given the focus of your law enforcement and the necessity for not divulging information in the pursuit of justice. there are a number of areas that would be helpful to us if the department of justice then the fcic could reach a similar negotiated agreement. i know we haven't felt that it was necessary to do so up to this point but i hope you can appreciate, as it takes a long time to get some of the cases that you investigate t

what is complicated is the fcc, federal communications commission, also weighs in on a broader public interest standard that includes antitrust concerns and broader issues about media diversity and anything else they consider to be public interest so it could take a little bit longer, they have two different legal standards to satisfy, and i expect that deal to eventually be cleared as long as the parties are willing to take into account the regulatory concerns that each agency will bring to the table. >> okay. and then finally another antitrust case in the entertainment industry, the ticketmaster-live nation deal, announced in february, now 50 members of congress have written the doj about the deal and there is a new website protesting or involving concerns about the deal, ticketdisaster.org. what impact is this deal having on antitrust behavior? >> this is, i consider them to be probably public enemy number one now at the justice department. we have a new administration that is looking for a big case to bring. i believe this is going to be the one. it is not their only antitrust con

i think it's probably generated more letters to the fcc than anything else. the latest efforts to raise cable rates may change that. you know, this statement dispels that. the recent fight over healthcare has led the bishops to take a position on two things, which ought to have been controversial. one is the abortion issue, of course, and the other is the whole idea of there being some communal responsibility to care for the poor. one of those was said to be a violation of church and state. the other gets passed over in utter silence. and you get a false debate about whether the church has any right to be heard on a public issue. these things then generate controversy that has no basis in law, leave aside public policy. they have no basis in law. yet, you routinely see claims that the irs ought to be investigating this or the fcc shouldn't be doing that when it's all nonsense. and that's a waste of public energy. it creates disagreement and sometimes bordering on hatred that's unnecessary. it doesn't serve a useful function. there's a legitimate debate about

this inventory and analysis will be performed jointly by the ntia and the fcc, and these agencies and our legislation are charged with the responsibility of looking at the entire wireless spectrum, and determining the current uses, and also, identifying possible components of that spectrum. that could be candidates for reallocation for commercial use. or possibly, could be candidates for spectrum-sharing, using some of the new and very efficient spectrum-sharing technologies in order to maximize the efficiency of spectrum use. we provide one year for the agencies to conduct this inventory and when it is presented along with its recommendations, it will provide a highly useful blueprint to the congress for taking steps to insure that we will be able to have the spectrum available, for the growing demand for wireless applications. i would note that last year, for the first time, the number of homes that do not have a land line service but have cell phones exceeded the number of homes that do not have the cell phones but have land lines service for the first time. and, that, disparity wi

. >> today, republican fcc commissioner robert mcdowell on efforts to create a national broadband plan the wireless industry. it o'clock p.m. eastern on c- span2 -- 8:00 eastern. >> a unique journey through the iconic homes of the three branches of government. c. the exquisite detail of the supreme court, go beyond the velvet ropes and public tours of the white house, america's most famous home, and explore the history, art, and architecture of the capital. american icons, a three disk dvd set, one of the many items available at c-span.org/store. now available, "abraham lincoln ," a great read for any history buff. a unique contemporary perspective from 56 scholars, journalists, and writers. from lincoln's early years to rise to the white house. hardcover at your favorite bookseller and now digital audio available where downloads are sold. learn more at c-span.org/slink in book. >> "washington journal" continues. host: brian michael jenkins is a senior advisor at the rand corp., a former captain with army special forces and has testified numerous times on terrorism, international and h

. >> to date there is no scientific consensus that cell phones pose any health risks and the fcc whichas adopted limits to save exposure to radiation says any phone sold legally in the u.s. is safe. >>> interest rates could be on the way up. ben bernanke says the reserve must be open to raise rates to pop a set bubbles in the future. the chair says all efforts should be made to strengthen the regulatory system. critics suggest the feds kept interest rates too low in early 2,000, that helped to fuel the housing bubble at the route of the crisis. the fed stimulus bill includes incentives for customers who buy energy starappliances. a recent audit found the appliances may not be as eco friendly as advertised. >> reporter: this high-end washing machine promises to do a lot more than your laundry. e government and appliance makers claim it will save you money and help the environment. >> the washer is up to 70% more efficient than the machine it's replacing. >> reporter: it has the energy star label. a familiar seal of the 17-year-old government program that rates appliances on their energy

i think it's probably generated more letters to the fcc than anything else. the latest efforts to raise cable rates may change that. this statement for this bills that. of recent slight over health care has led the bishops to take a position on two things which ought to have been controversy. once the abortion issue and of course the other is the whole idea of there being some communal responsibility to the care of the poor. but one of those was said to be a violation of church and state, the other gets passed over in utter silence, and you get a false debate about whether the church has any right to be heard on a public issue. these things than generate controversy that has no basis in law, leave aside public policy, no basis in law yet you routinely see claims the irs ought to be investigating this for the fcc shouldn't be doing that when it is all nonsense. and that is a waste of public energy. it creates disagreement and sometimes bordering on hatred that is unnecessary. it doesn't serve a useful function. there's a legitimate debate about the role of a

to date, there is no scientific consensus cell phones pose any health risk and the fcc says any phoned legally in the u.s. is safe. industry advocates say san francisco is sounding alarm bells unnecessarily. >> panic may be overstating it somewhat but it certainly raises anxietys that on the basis of current sence that is accepted are just simply not necessary. >> reporter: he says the rules could make cell phones with higher emigs appear dangerous when according to the standards, they are safe. at this best buy, most customers liked the label idea. >> i think it is something that -- you know, cigarettes have warnings. i imagine if it is like a concern, maybe it should be a imthing. >> now i'm wondering why they didn't always have it. know all the other times i bought my phones from the beginning. >> reporter: the state of maine and country of france are also considering adding raid nation labels to cell phones. if the legislation passes here, san francisco would be the first city in the nation to make that controversial call n san francisco, claudia cowan, fox news. >>> getting a tha

me, if we lose any free-speech rights in america through reregulation in the public interest to the fcc, liberals are going to lose those rights as well. .. >> this is about protecting the first amendment, our bill of rights and our constitution. brian jennings, thank you so much for joining me. >> thank you so much. >> the book is called "censorship," the author is brian jennings. i'm monica crowley, thank you so much for being with us today. ♪ >> coming up next, booktv presents, "after words," an hour-long interview program where we invite the -- a guest host to interview the author of a new book. born walker smith jr., the future title holder spent his formative years in harlem and mixed his career with the happening of the renaissance. shiewger ray's connections to langston hughes and lena horne, a generation of african-americans who found success during the start of a prodder civil rights movement -- broader civil rights movement. wil haygood discusses his book is dave zirin, author of "a people's history of sports in the united states." >> host: welcome to "after words." i'm dave

. >> this weekend republican fcc commissioner robert mcdowell on efforts to create a national broadband plan net neutrality and the wireless industry saturday at 6:30 p.m. eastern on c-span. preston obama's sending agriculture secretary tom vilsack to afghanistan to promote stability there through agriculture reforms. he will be joined by special representative richard holbrooke. they spoke with reporters thursday for about 40 minutes. >> good afternoon and welcome to the department of state. i think we have an unusual if not an unprecedented line up for you this afternoon. we are thrilled to welcome the secretary of agriculture, tom vilsack to the department of state. we are also thrilled to have on hand are newly minted administrator of the u.s. agency for national development, and of course our intrepid special representative for afghanistan and pakistan. we have travel plans for these gentlemen in terms of heading to the region in the very near future, but we thought it was a good time to talk a little bit about where we are in the civilian component of the strategy that the preside

health care many businesses most recently comcast which is fighting the fcc but now endorsed [inaudible] -- why is it the business is antibusiness and is there any way, is their anything you can do about it? >> look it's a great question. everybody here the question? okay. i think the basic thing is in business you tend to look after your self-interest, and given the huge power and huge interests of miss of government today, it does make sense many businesses, and this is why the entire, i share their revulsion that the corruption involved with the lobbying world, but i have a different view. i don't blame business for lobbying and spending literally billions of dollars every year lobbying for advantage in the governmental system. if the government is going to pick winners and losers. you better make sure that they don't put you on the list of losers or of corporate criminals or dismantled your authorization or throw you into jail or do something terrible to do. they've been forced to play ball. i think all of a sudden it to begin shrinking the size of government and reducing the tremen

to the fcc than anything else, the latest efforts to raise cable rates may change that. this statement misspells that. the recent fight over a health care has led the bishops on two things, a controversial, as the abortion issue of course and the other is a lady of there being some communal responsibility to care for the poor. one of those was said to be a violation of church and state, the other gets passed over and under silence and you get a false debate whether the church has any right to be heard on a public issue. this generates controversy that has no basis in the law, leaves aside public policy and give you routinely see claims the irs sought to be investigating this or fcc shouldn't be doing that but it's all nonsense and that is a waste of public energy. it creates this agreement and sometimes bordering on hatred. it is on necessary. it doesn't serve a function. there's a legitimate debate about the role of abortion and the health care program, a legitimate debate about whether the government has any responsibility for health care. it is a legitimate debate how

is that the fcc? no, it's really not before the fcc. is the issue of the house energy commerce committee? is that the senate judiciary committee? where's the audience for that issue because where the audiences is really going to dictate the strategy. it's an issue that the house is not really paying attention to, but the senate -- there's a subcommittee on senate judiciary that paying attention to that issue. all your focus is going to be on that committee and you're going to focus attention they are, on what experience you can't do that committee, what consultants know. members of the committee, but consultants of the stuff. and so it's a very different sort of set of strategies that you're going to have for that. so define your audience. her audience could be all of the above, it is a big piece of legislation on health reform. now, this is important. ownership. and this is to the trade association question, the coalition question. who really owns this issue? is this an issue -- if this is a merger issue, you know, if this is a merger

here is why -- if the fcc and fbi were to blow through these doors right now and turn off all the cameras and a subpoena your files, it would be c-span -- it cannot vote, it is not a citizen, and yet everyone would recognize that that is a fundamental violation of the rights of c-span. why? because at the end of the day, c-span, just like any other association of individuals, it is an association of the people that make up the entity. annot skip past the idea that associations of individuals have their rights and keep it short shrift. have to be respected in a democratic republic. with regard to george sorus, campaign finance law requires them to spend independently all he wants, but the sec investigated import i believe two years for a book -- the fcc investigated him out for i believe two years for a book he wrote about george bush. if we are deciding if a book should be banned or if books are illegal or if books are not part of our debate, whether by george soros or any other individual, we have a real problem. guest: let me first correct the caller. george sorus is not a communist he

. >> republican fcc commissioner robert mcdowell on efforts to create of national broad grand plan. that is at 8:00 p.m. eastern on c-span2. >> "american icons" -- three original documentaries from c- span now available on dvd. a unique journey through the iconic homes of the three branches of american government. see the exquisite detail of the supreme court through the eyes of the justices. go beyond the velvet ropes of public tours into those rarely seen spaces of "the white house -- america's most famous home." and explore the history, art, and architecture of "the capitol," one of america's most symbolic structures. "american icons" -- a three- disc dvd set. it is $24.95 plus shipping and handling. order online at c- span.org/store. >> as negotiations continue on a compromise on health care, have lawmakers made progress? >> there is a stage right now where they are working out the small things. the house has been meeting pretty extensively over the forum -- over the phone with their entire caucus. top senators like max baucus and chris dodd and harry reid had been meeting on th

here is why -- if the fcc and fbi were to blow through these doors right now and turn off all the cameras a subpoena your files, it would be c-span -- it cannot vote, it is not a citizen, and yet everyone would recognize that that is a fundamental violation of the rights of c-span. why? because at the end of the day, c-span, just like any other association of individuals, it is an association of the people that make up the entity. this is very important. we cannot skip past the idea that associations of individuals have their rights and keep it short shrift. have to be respected in a democratic republic. with regard to george sorus, campaign finance law requires them to spend independently all he wants, but the sec investigated import i believe two years for a book -- the fcc investigated him out for i believe two years for a book he wrote about george bush. if we are deciding if a book should be banned or if books are illegal or if books are not part of our debate, whether by george soros or any other individual, we have a real problem. guest: let me first correct the caller. george soru

tonight, national association of broadcasters president gordon smith will talk about efforts by the fccfor more broadband spectrum. wednesday, president obama delivers his first state of the union address, clean out his future for the country and plans to deal with unemployment, health care, and the wars. our coverage begins at 8:00 p.m. eastern. you can also listen live on your iphone with the c-span radio app. >> at his monthly news conference in london, british prime minister gordon brown entered several questions considering afghanistan. that included relief to forces and the conference that will take place on wednesday. he announced his instituting a new program to reduce unemployment for young people. this is over an hour. this week will be a critical week of decision for northern ireland as events unfold. on thursday the world comes together in london tonight against a global terrorist threat. the conference on afghanistan will be attended by president karzai, u.n. secretary-general ban, 60 nations being represented. we will announce new figures for nato forces and for afghan for

. >> this week, gordon smith on the fcc plan to expand the broadband spectrum and what it might meanor broadcasters. >> dolly madison had to encourage her shy husband. this week, on "after words," the wives of the founding fathers. >> each year, the washington center brings thousands of students to washington, d.c., to experience the workings of our government firsthand. they will experience politics, government, and the future. wednesday, chris -- president obama delivers his first state of the union. wednesday night, our coverage starts at 8:00 p.m. eastern on c-span. you can listen to the president's address live on your iphone with the c-span radio application. >> "washington journal" continues. host: gentlemen, thank you for being with us and thank you for being a part of our sunday round table. guest: the supreme court, a terrible week for obama and not such a bad week for republicans. guest: it was a terrible week for progress in the country. host: this book, coming back as a part of the team, what does this signal? guest: that they are very worried. there's a chance that repu

weekend, former senator and now head of the national association of broadcasters, gordon smith, on the fccroadband spectrum and what it might mean for broadcasters saturday and 60 p.m. eastern on c-span. -- at 6:30 p.m. eastern. he will lay out his vision for the future of the country and to deal with unemployment, health care, and the wars in iraq and afghanistan. the state of the union wednesday night. our coverage starts at 8:00 p.m. eastern on c-span. you can listen to the president's address live on your iphone with dean radio app. -- with the radio app. >> he will reflect on the first year of the obama administration. from the heritage foundation, this is one hour. >> good morning, everybody. and the vice president of the heritage foundation for foreign policy and national defense. i would like to welcome all of to the heritage foundation and a special locum to those joining us on line for this very special events. this is our sixth margaret thatcher freedom lecture. we created this in 2006 and won it away not only to honor lady thatcher but to bring greater clarity and attention to

using sweeping subpoena powers that allow any of the 10 members to summon any person or document, the fccwill deliver a report will for christmas to president barack obama -- fcic will deliver a report for christmas to president barack obama." traci, democratic line. what would you ask the bankers today? caller: good morning. first of all, i would like to know how it is that they allow the situation to take place that damages the african-american community and the latino community. this type of bailout program that is in place for african- americans and latinos to come out of foreclosure and be able to reestablish their credit and get mortgages for loans. host: thank you. julie, independent line from charlotte, n.c.. what would u.s. them, julie? caller: i would ask them how much, exactly, of this to you deserve by virtue of being a banker in the united states? even though you have been saved by the federal government. our sec person just call in all of our tax dollars. we are honest, government of biting folks for whom taxes are regulated, the banks were bailed out, saving these people, t

communicators, former senator and now head of the national association of broadcasters, courtney smith on the fcc to expand the broadband spectrum and what it might mean for broadcasters. that is tonight on c-span 2. wednesday, president barack obama delivers his first state of the union address to congress, laying out his vision for the future of the country and his plan to deal with issues like unemployment, health care, and the wars in iraq and afghanistan for the state of union address, wednesday night, our coverage starts at 8:00 p.m. eastern on c-span. you can also listen to the president's address live on your iphone. >> live, this february, book tv welcomes a british historian and former adviser to margaret thatcher, paul johnson his latest book is on winston churchill. join our three-hour conversation live from london with your phone calls for paul johnson, sunday, february 7, at noon eastern on c-span 2. in the nation's capital and across the country, listen to cspan radio. in washington at 90.1 fm. is also a free application for iphone. washington journal continues. >> we have a polit

tonight, corn smith talking about efforts by the fcc for more broadband spectrum and what it may mean for broadcasters. "the communicator's" tonight at 8:00 p.m. eastern on c-span2. >> wednesday, president obama delivered his first date of the union address to congress, laying out the future of the country and his issues of unemployment and the wars in iraq and afghanistan. the state of the union address, wednesday night. our coverage starts at 8:00 p.m. eastern on c-span for you can also listen to the address live on your iphone with the c-span radio app. >> in this c-span -- in the nation's capital and across the country, listen to c-span radio in washington on 90.1 fm, 1 xm satellite radio. c-span radio, covering washington like no other. >> of reaping now on counterterrorism efforts in yemen. secretary clinton will be meeting with arab leaders. daniel benjamin speaks with reporters, followed by a spokesman p.j. crowley. this is about 45 minutes. >> good afternoon and welcome to the department of state. this week secretary clinton will travel to london. she will leave tomorrow nigh

. >> the republican fcc commissioner robert mcdowell on efforts to create a national broadband plan,et neutrality, and the wireless industry. that is on c-span2. remarks now by afl-cio president richard trumka. he talks about the state of the economy and its impact on families as well as is opposition to portions of the health care legislation. from the national press club, this last about an hour. >> good afternoon. welcome to the national press club for speakers luncheon. i am president of the national press club and a reporter for "usa today." we're the leading organization for professional journalist and we provide it informative programming and journalism education and foster a free press worldwide. for more information about the national press club, please web at our website at press.org. on behalf of our members worldwide, how well -- i would like to welcome our speaker and the gas in the audience today. i would also like to welcome those of you watching on c-span. for those in our broadcast audience if you hear applause, it may be from the guests and members of the general pu

the agency warned that the fcc should consider how the largest telecommunications company could furtherntrate their power through a market auction." mary, what do you think about this plan by the democratic leadership? caller: what i really think is that the lack of transparency is the number one problem. you read two really good articles a little while ago. people are so focused on their own agenda, but i am registered as a republican and i think that everyone should switch to being independent voters so that we will not have these groups constantly fighting and the media constantly making that worse. i would like to see transparency on a day to day basis. it took these people some time to come up with these provisions, which could have been presented to the american people. ftelevise what had been the ideal, but even a daily update -- televised would have been the ideal, but even a daily update would have been better for a change. then it will kind of sort itself out, when you allow that rights also go along with responsibility. host: did you have a chance to watch any of the coverage

. >> this weekend, republican fcc commissioner robert mcdowell. saturday at 6:30 p.m.astern on c-span. >> "washington journal" continues. host: kenneth timmerman is here to discuss what is happening in iran. secretary of state hillary clinton addressed the issue yesterday. here's what she said >>. >> we have avoided using the term deadline. we want to keep the door to dialogue open. we have also made it clear we cannot continue to wait. we cannot continue to stand by when the iranians talk about increasing their production of highly enriched uranium and additional facilities for nuclear power that very likely could be put to dual use. host: here is the headline in "the washington times." what is your reaction? guest: the iranians have been trying to play out the clock on this for many years. every opportunity that they did, they will continue to do that. their goal remains constant, and that is to develop nuclear weapons capability. whether or not they build nuclear weapons is another story. we know they want the capability. we know they have enough nuclear weapons mat

. >> this weekend on "the communicateors" gordon smith on the fcc plan to expand the broadband speckrum trump and what it might mean for broadcasters today at 6:30 p.m. eastern on c-span. >> now president obama pledges to push ahead on major parts of his domestic agenda. the president made these remarks at a town hall meeting where the main topic was the committee and jobs. from lorraine county community college, this was about an hour and 20 minutes. [applause] >> hello, everybody! hello, ohio! thank you very much, everybody. thank you! everybody, please relax. we're going to be here for a little bit. everybody take a seat, if you have a seat. it is great to see you. can everybody please give jodi a big round of applause for the introduction. [applause] everybody is a special everybody is a special guest, but obviously you have one of the finest governors in the country in ted strickland. please give him a round of applause. [applause] my former colleague when he was in the senate, nobody works harder than sherod brown. give him a big round of applause. you've got a dynamo pair of m

communicators, former senator and now head of the national association of broadcasters, gordon smith, on the fcc plan to expand the broadcast specktrum and what it might mean for broadcasters, today on c-span. >> each year the washington center brings thousands of students to d. droment experience the workings of our government first harned. this weekend they'll discuss politics, government and their futures. q & a sunday night on c-span. >> this weekend on c-span 2's bookthan most people may have thought. we look at the impact of the modern automobile from annual costs. find the spire schedule at book tv doifering and get the latest updates on twitter. >> washington journal continues. >> nelson smith joins us. he is the head for charter schools. host: can you give us an example of how many charter schools in if -- in 40 states in d.c. >> and how many students are enrolled in those how that we have public chartered schools and they seem to be growing, how has that affected the education policy? >> well, the first and fact is that it's varietied a newer no by on the part of the disadvantaged area

. >> would you please look into, and i'm asking you, was that an fcc decision or the public corporationaccounting oversight. >> that would've been sent by fasba. >> arai. >> but the sec has oversight responsibility on and i just don't speak if you could get that to his. and i'm particularly interested into whether not there was any active advocacy by folks to exclude asset-backed mortgage related assets as somehow being different, and i would love to nazi arguments made for the exclusion if they were made. >> we concern ask fasba about the. >> or they just didn't get it enough to understand the difference vehicles out there >> i want to piggyback as well. to a certain extent, we had an earlier discussion, chairman bair, in which you gave me an answer in terms of the well-capitalized banks and the lack of any real discretion to deal with the structure that was there. this is part of our ongoing process. i am informed that you have provisions called from collective action provisions in which regulators can lower a banks rating below well-capitalized on subjective grounds. and i guess it's