1Remarks of FCC Commissioner Mignon L. Clyburn (as prepared)
National Energy Marketers Association
21
st
 Annual Restructuring Conference
Washington, DC
May 2, 2018
Good morning, everyone.  Thank you, Craig, for the kind introduction and Catalina, for 
extending such a warm invitation.  I can think of no place I would rather be as I end my term of 
service than here, during your 21
st
 Annual Restructuring Conference.  
When one is being considered for a “Lifetime Achievement Award,” the joy of the 
recognition can come with anxiety.  First of all, it does not feel like that much time has passed 
and secondly, there is so much more I plan to do.  I humbly accept this award, however, for the 
ground work we have collectively laid for all of the good that is still left to do.  
This is a both a transitional and transformative moment for me.  After nearly nine years 
of service on the Federal Communications Commission, and 11 years on the South Carolina 
Public Service Commission, one chapter for me is closing as the next begins.  The intersection 
where technology, energy, and telecommunications meets has helped define my nearly 20 years 
in public service, and that intersection is shaping the way each of you is facing this period of 
non-stop change.  
For the most part, we can look forward to remarkable changes over the horizon, but in 
order to capture and benefit from these great things, all relevant stakeholders—that means each 
of us in this room, alongside other interested agencies, companies, and consumers—must work 
collaboratively to get there.
Our 21
st
 Century wired and wireless broadband and telecommunications networks 
support healthcare, civic engagement, education, economic growth, social networks, news, 
entertainment, and yes, the energy sector.  And when it comes to these networks, I have found 
the greatest benefits accrue when we start with those core principles that ultimately define who 
we are and what our responsibility is at the Federal Communications Commission. The FCC is 
mandated by Congress and, as it clearly states in the Communications Act, it must do everything 
in its power to ensure that robust, ubiquitous, open, and affordable, advanced 
telecommunications networks, blanket this country.  Without these critical networks, none of the 
innovation and growth that we hope achieve in any of these sectors, including energy, can be 
possible.
That is why one of my top priorities has been promoting the deployment and adoption of 
broadband.  And as a group of policy and business leaders devoted to introducing innovation into 
how we provide businesses and consumers with natural gas, electricity, and energy-related 
products, I know that you care about and are vested in our next generation communications 
networks being strong, reliable, and accessible.  
Because of this shared concern, I have worked for much needed reforms to our federal 
universal service programs, so all households and businesses in this country will one day have 
access to advanced, high-speed broadband services.  That is why over nearly nine years, I have 
supported initiatives to overhaul our high cost program, which subsidizes broadband deployment 
2in hard-to-serve rural areas.  That is why I have pushed for reforms in our other universal service 
programs, because “if you build it, they will come” only happens when you can afford the 
service. 
Low-income households, schools and libraries that educate and serve those without home 
connectivity, and those rural healthcare providers that seek to cure our most vulnerable, must be 
and stay connected, because all of us stand to collectively benefit if that happens.  
With each additional connection, our networks become stronger. They become an even 
more powerful tool for you to utilize as you provide consumers with meaningful energy choice 
and address any remaining energy challenges.
And in the midst of those existing challenges, lurks another consequential transition—the 
transition of our current wireless telecommunications networks to the next generation of 
standards known as 5G.  The promise here is greater speeds, which could allow us to transfer 
more information and data; less latency, which should bring about fewer delays when it comes to 
that transfer of that data; and the ability to connect to more devices, which should yield greater 
network efficiency. 
I see this next generation standard, however, as a prime opportunity to apply the lessons 
we have learned from the transitions to previous cellular standards.  We can strive to get things 
right from the very beginning of its roll-out.  And while 5G is absolutely critical when it comes 
to innovative new technologies and networks, such as the “Internet of Things” and “smarter” 
cities, as well as technology that will help unleash the next wave of smart grid features and 
efficiency, leaving behind those areas that are rural or have low net worth would be a tragic 
error.  
By allowing many unconnected, energy consuming devices to be integrated into the grid 
through low-cost connections, 5G promises to enable these devices to be more accurately 
monitored in order to support better forecasting of energy needs.  This will revolutionize energy 
grids and create innovation in energy delivery, choice, and efficiency.  However, these benefits 
must be ubiquitous if we are to collectively benefit.  
As we auction spectrum, and facilitate infrastructure builds for this purpose, why not 
seize the opportunity to leap frog the status quo when it comes to competition and deployment?  
I have said this many times before, and I get no comfort in affirming this:  too many in our 
communities are still waiting for a 3G or 4G future.  
Can you imagine what our nation would look like if the FCC makes policy choices and 
industry makes investment decisions that quickly bring these communities up to speed?  
Remember, nearly half of the communities in this country have one or fewer high-speed 
broadband providers, so the lack of competition remains a barrier.  What if the Commission were 
to auction off 5G spectrum in a way that promotes more robust competition and incentivizes new 
competitors in markets across the country?  What kind of future could that mean for each of us, 
where opportunities abound wherever we live, work, or play?
All of this and more is possible, but it will take the collective will of those in this 
room to make it happen.  We all benefit when we are all connected.  Let us continue to work 
together to achieve a totally connected future.
3Again, I thank you:  for the work that you do, and for the award you honor me with. 
Public service is hard-wired into my DNA and with or without a title or official position, I 
promise through continued service and work to live up to the expectations of this honor.  
I thank you. Godspeed.