Federal Communications Commission FCC 17-157 STATEMENT OF COMMISSIONER MIGNON L. CLYBURN Re: FCC Form 325 Data Collection, MB Docket No. 17-290; Modernization of Media Regulation Initiative, MB Docket No. 17-105. A data-driven agency uses and collects that data, to help inform decision-making as it serves the public interest. So, taking a look under the hood to determine whether we are asking the right questions and collecting the information needed to support the Commission’s work, is a concept I fully endorse. As a general matter, I believe more data is better than less, so I will always look twice when an annually required form is proposed to be eliminated. For example, data on the number of leased set-top boxes deployed in a given cable television system can help us determine whether the goals of Section 629 are being achieved. Questions about whether a system is overbuilt by a competing cable system can provide insight into the state of competition in the video marketplace. But to ensure that we build a thorough record, I asked my colleagues to include several additional questions in this NPRM. Included is whether eliminating Form 325 would hinder the Commission’s ability to evaluate the state of competition among cable systems? Whether any information contained in Form 325 is specifically helpful to consumers and if it is possible to make this data publicly available sooner than the current three-year timeframe? I thank the Chairman for agreeing to my edits and the Media Bureau staff for teeing up this item.