May 20, 2015
5\0
~~H~(V)
BARBARA A. MIKULSKI
MARYLAND
WASHINGTON, DC 20510-2003
The Honorable Tom Wheeler
Chairman, Federal Communications Commission
445 12th St SW
Washington, DC 20536
Dear Chairman Wheeler:
Iwrite to express my concerns about the Commission's proposal for changing the process for
findings of "effective competition" for cable companies in certain markets.
In Section III of the STELA Reauthorization Act of2014 (STELAR), Congress directed the
Federal Communications Commission (FCC) to streamline the "effective competition" petition
process for "small cable operators, particularly those who serve primarily rural areas" to seek a
waiver. This provision ofSTELAR clearly indicates that the streamlining process should be limited
to cable operators that meet the existing statutory definition of a "small cable operator."
Instead, the FCC's proposed rules would apply to all cable providers and the FCC's proposal
appears to assume that all communities served by cable operators are "effectively competitive," with
no obligation on cable operators to show evidence of competition in the market.
As always, my interest is in protecting my constituents' access to local news, politics, sports,
cultural events, and emergency notifications. And I am concerned about the impact that this proposal
could have on cable consumers by potentially making it more difficult or expensive for consumers to
access certain programming.
Iurge the FCC to reconsider its proposal to deregulate the cable industry ancl instead follow
the narrow changes that Congress passed.
Thank you for your consideration of this request. If you have any questions, you may contact
Aaron Edelman of staff at (202) 224-4654.
Sincerely,
/b~~
Barbara A. Mikulski
United States Senator