1ACTING CHAIRWOMAN MIGNON CLYBURN
PREPARED REMARKS TO FCBA LUNCHEON
SEPTEMBER 24, 2013
Good afternoon, FCBA! It’s really great to be back. 
I have a confession to make: I come here today with mixed emotions. 
After an eventful ride, this journey we’ve had together is coming to a close. 
Yes, Breaking Bad will end this weekend. What? Were you expecting me to 
say something else?  They warned me that opening with a pop culture joke 
would be risky at an FCBA luncheon. It presumes members of the 
communications bar have lives outside of work. I know; that’s a big 
assumption.
Okay, okay, it does appear that the Commission could be returning to 
full complement in the not-to-distant future. I must admit that I’ve enjoyed 
my journey. Having spent just over four years as a Commissioner and four
months as Acting Chairwoman, I say without a doubt that being the Chair,
is WAY better. 
But, I’m looking forward to once again being at full capacity, with Tom 
Wheeler and Michael O’Rielly. And one thing about their backgrounds has 
me really excited: Neither of them is a lawyer.  After three-plus years of 
2being the only non-attorney on the Commission, non-lawyers will soon rule. 
Now that’s change I can believe in. 
With a new Chairman and Commissioner coming in, clearly this is a 
time of transition for us all and a good time to take stock of where we are
and where we’re headed. I want to speak about the importance of a vibrant 
FCC, what I see as our core responsibilities, and what we’re doing to fulfill 
them. 
I sincerely believe that the need for a dynamic agency is greater than 
ever before. For the communications technology sector continues to grow 
in its importance to our economy, our competitiveness, and in our lives.
Since I arrived at the Commission, smartphone ownership in America 
has gone from around 15% to 56%. The average smartphone owner 
checks their device 150 times a day – including some of you right now --
and those devices have more computing power, than the lunar module, that 
put a man on the moon. 
This sector, invests tens of billions of dollars into our economy every 
year, and enables growth in other sectors, across our economy.  So what is 
our role, and what should it be, going forward?
There are different opinions, but here’s how I see it. The Commission 
is obviously focused on goals -- like driving innovation and investment
3across the ICT sector.  But to me, the FCC’s four core pillars will forever
remain:
1) ensuring universal service; 2) promoting competition; 3) protecting 
and empowering consumers; and (4) enabling a reliable and resilient 
network, for our public safety needs.
So, just what have we been doing on each front? 
UNIVERSAL SERVICE
Let’s start with universal service. Nothing is more fundamental to the 
FCC’s mission than connecting ALL Americans to modern communications. 
The unfortunate truth, however, is that nearly one-third of Americans 
haven’t adopted broadband at home. And there are fifteen million
Americans still lacking access to fixed broadband networks, living in areas 
where there is no business case for rapid deployment, making government 
engagement essential. 
So I’m proud that, after many years of good-faith attempts, a 
bipartisan Commission was finally able to come together and modernize 
USF for the broadband age. 
The sheer volume of work done to modernize USF has been 
astounding. During the past year or so, the staff prepared six Commission-
level orders and issued more than 30 others. We’re seeing significant 
progress on a number of fronts, and have taken new steps to build on 
previous efforts. 
4Under the Connect America Fund, significant new funding will be 
matched with hundreds of millions of private sector dollars in many areas, 
which would quickly expand broadband infrastructure to rural communities 
in every region of the nation. Building on lessons learned from the first 
round of Phase I funding, carriers just requested $385 million in funding to 
connect over 600,000 housing units or over one million people in 44 states 
plus Puerto Rico. 
Now, we’re moving forward on CAF II implementation, including the 
Connect America Cost Model, which will provide the baseline for support in 
the next phase of the Connect America Fund.
Building on the reverse auction we conducted in Mobility Fund I, this 
fall we will conduct the Tribal Mobility Fund Phase I auction, which will help 
provide 3G or better mobile voice and broadband services to populations 
on Tribal lands lacking such advanced services.
In addition to ensuring every U.S. household has access to at least
basic broadband, we want every school and library in America to have 
access to high capacity broadband.
E-Rate has helped connect almost every school in America to the 
Internet. But having a broadband connection doesn’t mean having the 
broadband capacity to support the latest digital learning tools. About half of 
E-Rate recipients report lower connection speeds than the average 
American home. That’s just not good enough.
5President Obama challenged the FCC to bring high-speed Internet to 
99% of U.S. students within five years. We are answering his call.
In July, we launched a comprehensive proceeding to modernize the 
E-rate program around three goals: increased broadband capacity, cost-
effective purchasing, and streamlined program administration.  This is the 
first comprehensive update of the program since 1997, and will ultimately 
assist schools and libraries in getting the high-capacity broadband they 
need to support today’s digital learning. We’re digging into the record and 
the over 800 comments filed so far, as well as looking forward to reply 
comments next month. And to those of you in the room who were able to 
bill hours drafting some of those comments over the summer – you’re 
welcome. 
Another key universal service program that we’ve overhauled is 
Lifeline. In January 2012, we adopted comprehensive reforms to eliminate 
waste, fraud and abuse, while ensuring the availability of voice service for 
low-income Americans.  We’ve continued to make tremendous strides over 
the summer, including the adoption of an Order emphasizing that a 
provider must verify eligibility before initiating Lifeline service. I’m proud to 
say we’re making significant progress with the duplicates database. 
It will be operational by the end of the year, with data loaded from five
states and will be expanded to include all states by first quarter 2014.  
Altogether, these reforms are on pace to generate $2 billion in savings by 
next year. We also have significant enforcement actions and investigations 
pending within our Enforcement Bureau and Inspector General’s office.  
6We not only want universal access to robust wireline networks; we
want universal access to robust wireless networks.
Our nation’s leadership in mobile is a key competitive advantage. A 
report came out just last week which found that the U.S. has 47 million 4G 
LTE subscribers, more than the rest of the world combined. To maintain 
our lead in mobile innovation and infrastructure, and to meet growing 
consumer demand, we need to free up more spectrum for broadband.
Of course, all eyes are on the incentive auction, and I can assure you 
that there is no higher agency priority. We continue the push to hold this 
first-in-the-world auction, by the end of 2014.
What many people don’t realize is that the Middle Class Tax Relief 
and Job Creation Act of 2012, which authorized the FCC to conduct the 
first incentive auctions, also called on the FCC to license other bands of 
spectrum for flexible use by 2015.
Consistent with our Congressional directive, in June the Commission 
adopted a report and order to auction 10 MHz of spectrum in the so-called 
H Block. Just last week, we announced that the PCS H block auction will 
be held on January 14, 2014, and set a reserve price of $1.56 billion. I am 
pleased that the FCC is moving expeditiously to auction this spectrum,
which will be the first major auction since 2008, and that we are doing so in 
a way that ensures substantial revenues will flow to FirstNet to deploy our 
nationwide public safety broadband network. 
7This summer, the Commission also launched a proceeding to license 
the AWS-3 band. That Notice includes proposals for identifying spectrum
that is free, clear, and available for exclusive use, as well as proposals for 
spectrum that could be shared with Federal users, if clearing and 
reallocating is not possible, in the near-term. We remain committed to 
finding new and innovative strategies, to expedite commercial access, to 
additional spectrum.
And we adopted an order to open up the 57 – 64 GHz band for 
unlicensed use, spectrum no one ever dreamed usable. Tapping into the 
lightly used upper reaches of the spectrum in the 57-64 GHz band is an 
important component in our overall strategy for meeting the high bandwidth 
demands of tomorrow's networks. It also promotes expansion of wireless 
broadband services to rural areas of our country.
COMPETITION
In addition to freeing up spectrum, the Commission is promoting the
deployment of wireless networks by removing barriers to infrastructure 
deployment. And in two days, the Commission will vote on a NPRM to ease 
access to public rights of way and facilities for the siting of wireless 
infrastructure. 
The second pillar I’ll discuss is competition.
Earlier this month, we scored a big win for competition in the wireless 
space when carriers reached a voluntary industry solution that will resolve 
8the lack of interoperability in the lower 700 MHz band.
When the Commission auctioned this spectrum in 2008, it was widely 
anticipated that deployment of this valuable spectrum would result in 
greater innovation and competitive options for consumers.  But the lack of 
interoperability in the band prevented many consumers from realizing those 
benefits.  
But after many frustrating years, AT&T, the Competitive Carriers 
Association, the Interoperability Alliance, DISH, and consumer advocacy 
groups, working with FCC, finally broke the logjam.
AT&T will modify its 700 MHz LTE network, to make it easier for the
customers of smaller carriers to roam on AT&T’s LTE network, and devices 
like the iPhone that used to work exclusively for AT&T will work on the 
smaller carriers’ networks in the 700 MHz band.
This is a big win for consumers, especially in rural areas, who will see 
more competition and more choices. Also, by making it easier for small 
wireless carriers to compete, this interoperability solution will spur private 
investment, job creation, and the development of innovative new services,
and devices. 
Reforming special access is another key issue that I’ve been 
committed to since coming to Washington.  Special access services
underpin millions of transactions for consumers every day at places like 
9gas pumps and ATM machines, while easing the burden on our wireless 
networks by transporting mobile calls and data. Last week, our Wireline 
Competition Bureau issued a data collection clarification order and 
instructions, which mark an important step forward in our data-driven 
examination of the marketplace for these services. This Order will give the 
Commission the detailed and comprehensive data we need to conduct a 
robust analysis of the entire special access market.
Another policy we’re working on to promote competition is cell phone 
unlocking.  
I support policies that enable consumers to lawfully unlock their 
mobile telephones so they can seamlessly move from one carrier to 
another. And I’m not alone. Earlier this year, 114,000 people signed on to 
the White House petition supporting the development, of a cell phone 
unlocking policy.
Wireless carriers should be able to enforce their valid customer 
contracts, but consumers who satisfy the reasonable terms of their 
contracts should not be subject to civil and criminal penalties if they want to 
take their device to a new carrier.
Some providers have already adopted consumer-friendly unlocking 
policies, and we are redoubling our efforts to explore all possibilities with 
industry and stakeholders to achieve consumer-friendly policies.  We are 
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moving quickly to develop a baseline standard that reduces consumer 
frustration and promotes consumer access, to unlocked devices.  
EMPOWERING CONSUMERS
Cell phone unlocking is a nice bridge to the next pillar of the FCC’s 
agenda, which is ultimately about standing up, for consumers’ rights.
For 10 years, family, friends and legal representatives of inmates
urged the courts and waited for the FCC to ease the burden of an 
exorbitant inmate calling rate structure. 
Families on a fixed income who are barely struggling to get by were 
being forced to choose between spending scarce resources to stay in touch 
with their loved ones, or covering life's basic necessities. 
In August, we adopted an Order reforming interstate inmate calling 
services to ensure that rates are just, reasonable and fair, both to the 
providers and the inmates and their families. Our new rules will require 
interstate inmate calling rates, including ancillary charges, to be based on 
the cost of providing service. 
The Commission is also looking out for rural Americans. Last week, I 
circulated an Order and Further Notice of Proposed Rulemaking that will 
help make sure that calls to rural areas are completed. This is a serious 
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issue that I’ve been committed to taking steps to address because calls are 
not being completed to doctors, public safety entities, businesses and 
family and friends.  This is just not acceptable.  I look forward to working 
with my colleagues, to adopt the Order, which will enhance the FCC's 
ability to investigate and crack down on this problem, while also taking 
immediate steps to improve the performance of long-distance calls to rural 
America.
Standing to benefit greatly from new communications technology 
would be the millions of Americans living with disabilities.
That’s why I was pleased in June, when we adopted reforms to the 
Video Relay Service, to enable millions of Americans with disabilities, to 
access communication services in ways that are more simple, robust, and 
affordable. 
And last week, I circulated an item that will make programming 
guides and menus accessible to the blind and visually impaired on devices 
that consumers use to receive or display, video programming.
PUBLIC SAFETY
And lastly, our latest efforts to enhance network reliability and 
resiliency, beginning with 9-1-1. 
At the FCC, we are committed to ensuring the reliability of our 9-1-1 
system when stressed by large-scale emergencies. 
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In the wake of the 2012 Derecho, which disrupted communications 
networks affecting more than 3.6 million people, our Public Safety and 
Homeland Security Bureau immediately launched an in-depth inquiry into 
the causes of the 9-1-1 network failures and what could be done to prevent 
them from occurring again.  
And this summer, we circulated a draft NPRM that proposes to 
improve wireless network reliability during disasters by requiring wireless 
service providers to publicly disclose the percentage of cell sites within their 
networks that are operational after disasters.  This proposal, now on the 
agenda for the next open meeting, could encourage competition in the 
wireless industry to improve network reliability by providing consumers with 
a yardstick for comparing wireless performance in emergencies.
We are also working to improve location accuracy for 9-1-1 calls from 
wireless devices. 
The Commission’s current E-9-1-1 rules were primarily designed to 
deal with outdoor locations and this clearly needs to be reevaluated in light 
of the fact that wireless calls are increasingly placed indoors.  We are in the 
process of examining the relevant data, and we will soon host a workshop 
to examine these issues further.
CONCLUSION
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So for those who’ve asked why I have yet to take any type of 
vacation, you can now see why. While incredibly busy and often fatigued, I 
am incredibly proud of what we’ve been able to accomplish much of which 
was done in collaboration with many in this room. 
But many challenges lie ahead. Our work to ensure universal service, 
promote competition, and protect and empower consumers continues and 
is more important than ever. Together, we can help grow our economy and 
boost U.S. competitiveness. Together, we can help open new doors of 
opportunity and unleash new technological discoveries. Together, we can
make a profound impact in the lives of all Americans. So for the vital role 
you play, as well as for the support you’ve given me over the years, I 
sincerely thank you. 
But there’s just one last ask, and this is extremely important: If 
anyone can share any spectacular, off-season vacation ideas, there is one 
Acting Chairwoman who is more than ready and eager to listen.
Have a great afternoon.