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 SEPARATE  STATEMENT  OF  COMMISSIONER  JONATHAN  S.  ADELSTEIN 
 Re:  Annual  Assessment  of  the  Status  of  Competition  in  the  Market  for  the  Delivery  of  Video  Programming,  Notice  of  Inquiry 
 I  support  this  Notice,  which  seeks  to  gather  information  for  the  Commission  to  use  in  compiling  our  11  th  annual  report  to  Congress  on  the  status  of  competition  in  the  delivery  of  video  programming. 
 Video  programming  delivery  involves  an  intricate  web  of  relationships,  yet  Congress  clearly  recognized  the  power  of  competition  to  give  consumers  more  choices,  lower  prices,  better  services,  and  diverse 
 sources.  Congress  also  foresaw  the  need  for  the  Commission  to  monitor  such  competition  vigilantly. 
 Today’s  Notice  is  a  comprehensive  and  appropriate  way  to  start.  It  contains  meaningful  questions  which,  if  answered  fully  and  accurately,  would  be  useful  for  the  Commission  in  fulfilling  our 
 statutory  duty.  I’m  particularly  pleased  that  we  have  a  section  that  focuses  on  pertinent  issues  facing  rural  and  smaller  markets.  It’s  also  appropriate  that  the  Commission  branch  out  and  report  on  the  vertical 
 integration  between  programmers  and  all  major  media  companies. 
 Given  the  technological  transformations  upon  us,  it  is  more  important  than  ever  that  the  Commission  gather  the  necessary  information  on  which  we  and  the  Congress  can  make  appropriate  policy 
 determinations.  Many  in  Congress  have  been  asking  for  a  deeper  understanding  of  the  factors  that  underlie  cable  pricing  and  competition,  and  the  consequences  for  consumers. 


 I  have  expressed  concern  with  the  analytical  depth  of  some  of  the  information  that  the  Commission  has  presented  in  the  past.  The  Commission  today  commits  to  be  more  proactive  in  using 
 outside  sources  and,  if  need  be,  undertaking  a  rulemaking  proceeding  to  gather  complete  and  meaningful  data  on  which  to  base  our  analyses.  We  should  strive  to  make  sure  that  we  are  doing  all  that  an  expert 
 agency  can  to  adequately  grasp  and  relay  to  Congress  the  dynamic  aspects  of  the  video  programming  delivery  market. 
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