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 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  data,  information,  comments  and  analyses  for  the  Commission  to  use  in  compiling  our  12  th  annual  report  to  Congress  on  the  status  of  competition  in  the 
 delivery  of  video  programming  market.  Video  programming  delivery  involves  an  intricate  web  of  relationships  that  requires  close  monitoring  to  ensure  fair  competition,  consumer  choices,  lower  prices, 
 better  services,  and  diverse  sources.  Congress  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  language  in  this  Notice  that  addresses  pertinent  issues  facing  rural  and  smaller  markets,  and,  for  the  first  time,  encourage  state  and  local  regulators  to 
 make  thorough  and  substantive  submissions  for  our  consideration.  It’s  also  appropriate  that  the  Commission  branch  out  and  report  on  horizontal  concentration  within  the  industry,  vertical  integration 
 between  distributors  and  programmers,  and  the  state  of  competition  in  foreign  markets  for  the  delivery  of  video  programming. 


 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.  For  example,  the  Notice  seeks  information  regarding  local  exchange  carriers  that  intend  to  provide  video  programming  services.  Many  in  Congress  have  been  asking  for  a  deeper  understanding 
 of  the  factors  that  underlie  IP-  based  video  networks,  franchise  fees,  and  the  consequences  for  consumers. 
 In  the  past,  I  have  expressed  concern  with  the  analytical  depth  of  some  of  the  information  that  the  Commission  has  presented  in  the  past.  This  year,  we  should  again  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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