Greg Walden

I remain confident that a properly crafted incentive auction can benefit broadcasters, whether they participate or not.

I support incentive auctions. But any incentive auction in which a licensee forfeits spectrum rights must be voluntary.

Spectrum legislation presents a tremendous opportunity to promote wireless broadband to spur economic growth, to create jobs, and generate significant revenue for the American taxpayer.

I think that we can produce a bipartisan, bicameral legislation that will honor your work and give you the necessary tools to operate a robust interoperable communication network for our country.

Spectrum is the foundation for any national public safety network, but without a competitive device market, our efforts to achieve interoperability and lower the cost of public safety devices could be blocked.

It is strange to me that the debate on public safety communications has been so focused on the 700 MHz D block.

Today's hearing gives us an opportunity to hear the lessons of the public safety community, the wireless sector, and the engineers who make wireless networks work.

We all share the same goal: providing America's first responders with a state-of-the-art communications network.

We're here this morning to have a productive discussion of how spectrum policy can advance public safety, promote broadband, generate revenue for the U.S. Treasury, and create jobs.

It seems to me that if we can build the trans Alaska pipeline in a matter of a couple of years... we should be doing this as well working with our best trading partner in the world, Canada, to get this done.

I won't hold it until I find out the answer to that question.

I think the public is tired of comprehensive, big bills. We ought to move things that we can move clearly, concisely and defend.

I appreciate your comments on the principles.

A discussion about reforming process is not, and should not become, an exercise in partisanship

This administration is killing more jobs in rural communities than prior administrations combined.

They would rather let the forest get overstocked, bug infested, rot and die, and then catch fire and burn.

These new federal rules are shutting down everything that matters out there in my part of the world.

It is evident that there's confusion on their side of the aisle, because at one end they have a Speaker that says we're doing the bidding of the big oligarchies, these big companies, and on the other hand that all those companies oppose…

I now yield 2 minutes to the gentleman from Virginia (Mr. Goodlatte). (Mr. GOODLATTE asked and was given permission to revise and extend his remarks.)

I would be happy to answer. I am not part of that negotiating team. And I don't think you are, and I don't think Ms. Eshoo is or Mr. Waxman. And so those who are negotiating are negotiating, and we're taking care of this business.

I think this points up two things. When you have government-run microphones on the Internet, you're going to have a problem. And, second, we are for open and free microphones; so they are welcome to use our podium as well. I now yield 2…

Could I just get a time check for each side? The SPEAKER pro tempore (Mrs. Ellmers). The gentleman from Oregon has 12 minutes remaining. The gentlewoman from California has 16 minutes remaining.

The last time I checked, it's like the Government of Iran controls their Internet. That's what we are trying to avoid here is government control of the Internet. I yield 2 minutes to the gentleman from Florida (Mr. Stearns). (Mr. STEARNS…

Obviously, my friend, the gentleman from Massachusetts, walked in a little late because we just heard that all those big companies he railed against are opposed to this resolution we have before us. So if anybody is doing the bidding of…

I just want to make one point. This is not partisan legislation. We have two Democrats as co-sponsors of the legislation, and I anticipate it will actually have a bipartisan vote, as it has had in the past. I now yield such time as he may…