Federal Communications Commission FCC 09-68
STATEMENT OF 
CHAIRMAN JULIUS GENACHOWSKI
Re: Consumer Information and Disclosure, CG Docket No. 09-158; Truth-in-Billing and 
Billing Format, CC Docket No. 98-170; IP-Enabled Services, WC Docket No. 04-36
Protecting and empowering American consumers is one of the Commission’s most 
essential responsibilities.  I thank the Consumer and Governmental Affairs Bureau for their hard 
work on today’s item, which is an important step forward in the Commission’s efforts to ensure 
that consumers have access to the information they need.  
I want to emphasize, however, that the task of protecting and empowering consumers is 
not the responsibility of any single Bureau or Office at the Commission.  Every decision this 
Commission makes—big and small—affects the day-to-day lives of American consumers.  And 
each of us who has the privilege of working at this institution—regardless of Bureau or Office—
is responsible for ensuring that our agency’s decisions are always in the interest of consumers of 
communications services.
Today’s Notice addresses the protection and empowerment of American consumers.  
Specifically, we seek to provide them the information, disclosure, and new technologies they 
need to make the market work.  Making sure that consumers have adequate information at each 
step of this process is essential to enabling smart, informed decisions when it comes to 
communications services, which increasingly touch every part of our lives.    
I can’t think of a more important moment to be considering these issues.  Despite signs of 
stabilization in the economy, times are still tough.  Many Americans are learning to do more with 
less.  A surprise charge on a monthly bill or a new service that does not perform as advertised 
can be a major budget-buster, especially as household spending on communications grows ever 
larger.  Today’s notice will help the Commission build a record on ways to ensure that 
consumers understand what they are signing up for.
And let’s face it, the communications marketplace is a pretty confusing place today, as a 
variety of sources cited in today’s item demonstrate.  Technology has brought us a lot of new 
choices, but that also can lead to confusion about what to choose and how to evaluate new 
options coming on the market.  The good news is that technology can also help and in very 
significant ways.  It can give consumers access to new information and present old information 
in newer and better ways.  This inquiry provides the agency with an important opportunity to 
understand how to make sure that technology is part of the solution and not part of the problem 
when it comes to finding ways to protect and empower consumers.
I look forward to seeing the results of this NOI and identifying specific strategies the 
FCC can adopt to improve the lives of American consumers.