WRITTEN STATEMENT
of
DEBORAH TAYLOR TATE
Commissioner,
Federal Communications Commission
on
“Federal Communications Commission Oversight Hearing”
Before the
Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation
United States Senate
December 13, 2007
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Summary of Written Testimony of Commissioner Deborah Taylor Tate
Since arriving at the Federal Communications Commission in January 2006, I 
have considered hundreds of issues.  Some of these affect only a single party, while 
others are of national and even international significance.  As holders of the public trust 
we continue to seek an open dialogue with Congress and the American people.
From reviewing our media ownership rules, to coordinating with the industry for 
a successful DTV Transition, to fiscal responsibility in managing spectrum allocation for 
new and innovative services, to encouraging nationwide deployment of broadband, to 
facilitating the interoperability of our public safety services, to ensuring the long-run 
viability of our Universal Service program, these decisions will be among the most 
historically significant the Commission will make.
I look forward to hearing your thoughts and working with you on these and many 
other important issues facing the Commission, Congress, and our nation.
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Mr. Chairman, Members of the Committee, it is an honor to appear before you 
today as a member of the Federal Communications Commission.   As a public servant, I 
realize that I hold a position of public trust and recognize that protecting that trust 
requires engaging in open dialogues, both with Congress and the American people.  
Accordingly, I welcome the Committee’s input and questions.
Since I arrived at the Commission in January 2006, there have been hundreds of 
issues before us.  Some of these affect only a single party, while others are of national 
and even international significance.  For all issues, it is our duty to carefully consider the 
facts and approach our analysis with the goals of fostering competition, encouraging 
innovation, and helping ensure this country’s global competitiveness for years to come.  
A few issues before the Commission have been at the top of our agenda since I 
arrived.  From reviewing our media ownership rules, to coordinating with the industry for 
a successful DTV Transition, to fiscal responsibility in managing spectrum allocation for 
new and innovative services, to encouraging nationwide deployment of broadband, to 
facilitating the interoperability of our public safety services, to ensuring the long-run 
viability of our Universal Service program, these decisions will be among the most 
historically significant the Commission will make and therefore should command your 
attention as well as the public’s.   
Following a remand by the D.C. Circuit in 2004, media ownership has been a 
front-burner issue for the Commission.  Throughout this review, the focus of our 
attention has been on the touchstones of competition, localism, and diversity of voices.  
Over the past 18 months, we have held open public hearings across the entire country –
literally from sea to shining sea – in Los Angeles and El Segundo, California; Tampa, 
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Florida; Harrisburg, Pennsylvania; Chicago, Illinois; Seattle, Washington; and I was so 
glad to welcome my colleagues to Belmont University in my hometown of Nashville.  
These lengthy hearings have enabled thousands of American citizens to have 
unprecedented access to a governmental body while providing them the opportunity to 
voice their opinion regarding ownership of media outlets.  Over my 20-plus years of 
public service – at all levels of government – I cannot remember a single time that an 
agency expended this much institutional energy and investment on an issue, or was this 
open and thorough regarding a matter of public interest.  We invited comment not only 
from the general public, but also from expert panels of economists; TV, radio, and film 
producers; musicians; directors; professors; students; small and large broadcasters; and 
community organizations.  During the roughly year and a half of on-going hearings, we 
also arranged for ten media studies, which were completed over the summer, subjected to 
peer review, and were made accessible online.  
Never before has so much competition existed for the eyes and ears of American 
consumers of news and information, wherever, whenever, and however, over any device 
they may choose.  This competition is cross-platform, and it includes newspapers and 
broadcasters, of course, but also cable, satellite and wireline networks and, increasingly, 
mobile networks.  And as more platforms offer access to the Internet, the breadth of the 
sources only expands.  I grew up in a small town in rural Tennessee where our media 
choices were a handful of radio stations and three major television networks.  Today, in 
cities and towns across the country, households have more access to media voices than 
ever.  
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We must structure our media ownership rules to account for the needs not just of 
our generation, but of the next generation.  The “I-Generation,” as they are often called, 
lives in an online, YouTube world, with access to local, national, and international news 
sources we could only have dreamed of at their ages.  Like many of you, I am an avid 
consumer of news – from industry trade publications to national newspapers to my local
paper, The Tennessean, as well as CNN clips, online news sites, and tools such as alerts 
that are set to my personal news preferences.  Yet my list of news sources pales in 
comparison to the number of sources accessed by the younger generation.  
While I share many commenters’ concerns about the negative impact media can 
have, from extreme violence to exceedingly coarse language, to the impact on childhood 
obesity, I appreciate the many media companies that try to have a positive impact.  
I also continue to be troubled by the statistics regarding the low rate of female and 
minority ownership in the industry.  During my tenure at the Commission, I have tried 
not merely to talk about the issues, but to work with others to find solutions, both inside 
and outside the Commission, which could have a positive impact.  Over the past year, I 
participated in the NAB Education Foundation series for women and minorities; I 
attended the Hispanic Broadcasters Association Financing and Capitalization Seminar; 
and I have also worked with the National Association of Black Owned Broadcasters.  At 
these events, when women and minority broadcasters discuss challenges they face, 
financing is always at the top of the list.  This is true for those who are just starting out, 
and those who have been in the industry for years.  I am very pleased that the 
Commission is presently considering a number of proposals to assist women and 
minorities.  In addition, I have offered to lend my support to an annual conference that 
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would focus on investment opportunities.  Another recommendation before the 
Commission is allowing minority and women broadcasters to purchase expiring 
construction permits, and giving them the duration of the permit, or 18 months, to 
complete construction.  Finally, we continue to discuss changing the Equity-Debt Plus 
(EDP) attribution rule so that investors’ concerns with ownership limits will not prevent 
them from making investments they would otherwise consider.  
Let there be no doubt that women – many of whom are African-American – are 
indeed succeeding in this industry.  Look for example at Cathy Hughes, founder and 
chairperson of Radio One/TV One, Inc., the largest African-American-owned and 
operated broadcast company in the United States, or Susan Davenport Austin, Vice 
President and Treasurer of Sheridan Broadcasting Corporation, which manages the only 
African-American-owned national radio network.  And then there is Caroline Beasley, 
Executive Vice President and CFO of Beasley Broadcast Group, Inc., the 18th largest 
radio broadcasting company in the country, and Susan Patrick, co-owner Legend 
Communications, who has been in the media brokerage business for more than 20 years.
I hope that we will employ every possible avenue to have a more positive impact on the 
diversity of both voices and ownership.
On another important issue, as Co-Chair of the Federal-State Joint Board on 
Universal Service, I am pleased that the Board issued a recommendation that will ensure 
the sustainability of universal service.  We all agree that a modern and high-quality 
communications infrastructure is essential to ensure that all Americans, including those 
living in rural communities, have access to the full array of educational, economic, and 
other opportunities that are delivered via advanced communications services.  Indeed, 
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Congress has directed that consumers in all regions of the nation have access to 
reasonably comparable telecommunications and information services, including advanced 
services, at reasonably comparable rates.  The Commission’s efforts to enact sound 
policy with regard to our Universal Service rules reflect a firm commitment to this 
Congressional directive.
Finally, apart from our many Congressionally mandated obligations, the 
Commission remains involved in many public interest issues that are important to the 
members of this Committee, such as fighting childhood obesity, protecting children 
online, and reducing children’s exposure to media violence.  We continue to partner with 
Congress and the private sector to improve the lives of children and families, through our 
joint Childhood Obesity Task Force and the Internet Safety Roundtable, which Senator 
Stevens and I recently participated in. 
I look forward to hearing your thoughts and working with you on these and many 
other important issues facing the Commission, Congress, and our nation.