Marsha Blackburn

We appreciate that, and we are thrilled with 21st Century Cures being signed into law.

We know of the impact that that has on care coordination, that it has on post acute care, that it has on managing and following chronic conditions.

Thank you so much, Mr. Chairman, and thank you for the good work that you have done in leading this committee over the past couple of years.

I am encouraged by the bipartisan foundation set by RAY BAUM'S Act, and I am confident that this subcommittee will build on its success.

By reauthorizing the Commission, we--as authorizers on this committee--gave direction to the agency, reaffirmed the important missions we've delegated to them.

I think that we would all say 21st Century Cures and working together, getting that across the finish line so President Obama could sign it, was one of the stellar accomplishments of our work here.

Today's hearing marks the first time in 28 years that the FCC has appeared before this subcommittee having been reauthorized by Congress.

I remain focused on our key priorities so we can focus the work of this commission.

Our Ranking Member Pallone's SANDy Act was included in the RAY BAUM'S Act, and it is a good solid bipartisan initiative to help with Wi-Fi resources.

I look forward to hearing more today about the FCC's work to advance public safety before, during, and after emergencies.

I have worked for years on the privacy issue...

We all agree on the importance of bringing the benefits of broadband to all Americans, and this is especially true in rural America.

This legislation allows Federal disaster areas to be exempt from the National Environmental Policy Act and the Historical Preservation Act.

We should acknowledge private investment in rural deployment and ensure that government-based solutions complement private investment instead of competing with it.

Many farms across our great country are not connected to broadband.

Our decision to hold Congressman Blackburn's campaign launch advertisement was a mistake.

Extending the reach of broadband in rural Tennessee, and across America, is critical to ensure everyone can participate in the digital economy.

While the percentage of rural Tennesseans still lacking access to high speed internet has decreased from 34% to 23%, we must continue to push.

You can't have a 21st century economy without a 21st century internet.

What we need to do is look at what more is needed to unleash this private capital.

As we discuss these important issues today, we need to consider innovation and consumer privacy needs across the entire internet ecosystem so we can arrive at a solution that works for everyone.

Over 20 years ago, Congress realized the importance of protecting the confidentiality of customer proprietary network information, or CPNI, when consumers used the primary method for instantaneous communication: telephone calls.

the BROWSER Act is a comprehensive, bipartisan privacy bill that will give Americans seamless protection across all their electronic communications.

By enacting Section 222, Congress established a specific statutory structure that acknowledged that consumers share sensitive data when they communicate over the phone.

But with the level of consensus we have on our vision of NTIA's leadership on rural broadband, that would be a real shame.