**Written Statement of**

**Deborah Taylor Tate**

**Commissioner**

**Federal Communications Commission**

**Hearing on**

**Oversight of the Federal Communications Commission:**

**Media Ownership**

**Before the Subcommittee on Telecommunications and the Internet**

**Committee on Energy and Commerce**

**United States House of Representatives**

**December 5, 2007**

**Summary of Written Testimony of Commissioner Deborah Taylor Tate**

Since arriving at the Federal Communications Commission in January 2006,
I have considered hundreds of issues. Our decisions on some of these,
such as media ownership, will be among the most historically significant
the Commission will make.

Since October 2006, we have held open public hearings across the entire
country -- literally from sea to shining sea -- to provide an
opportunity for thousands of American citizens to have unprecedented
access to a governmental body about the role media plays in their lives,
and their opinion regarding ownership of media outlets. Over my 20-plus
years of public service -- at all levels of government -- I cannot
remember a single time that an agency expended this much institutional
energy and investment on an issue, or was this open and thorough
regarding a matter of public interest.

Like many of you, I consider myself an avid consumer of news -- from
industry trade publications to local and national newspapers, from my
hometown paper, The Tennessean, to the New York Times, from CNN clips to
other online news sites, and tools such as alerts that are set to my
personal news preferences. But my list of news sources pales in
comparison to the number of sources accessed by many of our citizens,
particularly the younger generation.

I share many commenters' concerns about the negative impact media can
have, from extreme violence to exceedingly coarse language, to the
impact on childhood obesity. I also continue to be troubled by the
statistics regarding the disappointingly low rates of female and
minority ownership we see in the media industry.

I look forward to hearing your thoughts and working with you on these
and many other important issues facing the Commission, Congress, and our
nation.

**STATEMENT OF COMMISSIONER DEBORAH TAYLOR TATE**

House Committee on Energy and Commerce

December 5, 2007

Mr. Chairman, Members of the Committee, it is an honor to appear before
you today as a member of the Federal Communications Commission. Since
arriving at the Commission in January 2006, there have been hundreds of
issues before us -- some ministerial, yet even though those are
important to parties who are affected; others of national and even
international significance -- which foster competition, encourage
innovation and help ensure our global competitiveness for years to come.
A few of the issues before the Commission have received more attention
than others, perhaps because of the public nature of the deliberative
process surrounding them and their lasting impact. From the remand of
our media ownership rules, to coordinating with the industry for a
successful DTV Transition, from our fiscal responsibility in managing
spectrum allocation for new and innovative services, to encouraging the
nationwide deployment of broadband, especially as it relates to the
interoperability of our public safety services, all of these have been
at the top of our agenda since I arrived. These decisions will be among
the most historically significant the Commission will make and therefore
should command your attention as well as the public's. We are here today
to seek and listen to your input on one of these in particular -- media
ownership.

Since October 2006, we have held open public hearings across the entire
country: Los Angeles and El Segundo, California; Tampa, Florida;
Harrisburg, Pennsylvania; Chicago, Illinois; Seattle, Washington and I
was so glad to welcome my colleagues to Belmont University in my
hometown of Nashville. These lengthy hearings -- literally from sea to
shining sea -- provided an opportunity for thousands of American
citizens to have unprecedented access to a governmental body about the
role media plays in their lives and their opinion regarding ownership of
media outlets. Over my 20-plus years of public service -- at all levels
of government -- I cannot remember a single time that an agency expended
this much institutional energy and investment on an issue, or was this
open and thorough regarding a matter of public interest. We invited
comment not only from the general public, but also from expert panels of
economists; TV, radio, and film producers; musicians; directors;
professors; students; small and large TV and radio broadcasters, and
community organizations. During the roughly year and a half of on-going
hearings, we also arranged for ten media studies by experts --
preeminent economists, academics, and researchers -- and also released
all of those studies for public comment and peer review.

Never before has so much competition existed for the eyes and ears of
American consumers of news and information, wherever, whenever, and
however, over any device they may choose. This competition is
cross-platform, and it includes newspapers and broadcasters, of course,
but also cable, satellite and wireline networks and, increasingly,
mobile networks. And as more platforms offer access to the Internet, the
breadth of our sources only expands.

Like many of you, I consider myself an avid consumer of news -- from
industry trade publications to local and national newspapers, from my
hometown paper, The Tennessean, to the New York Times, from CNN clips to
other online news sites, and tools such as alerts that are set to my
personal news preferences. But my list of news sources pales in
comparison to the number of sources accessed by many of our citizens,
particularly the younger generation.

I have said it countless times, but I want to reiterate it again today.
We must structure our media ownership rules to account for the needs not
just of our generation, but of the next generation. The "I-Generation,"
as they are often called, lives in an online world, with access to
local, national, and international news sources we could only have
dreamed of at their ages.

I share many commenters' concerns about the negative impact media can
have, from extreme violence to exceedingly coarse language, to the
impact on childhood obesity. I also continue to be troubled by the
statistics regarding the disappointingly low rates of female and
minority ownership we see in the media industry. During my tenure at the
Commission, I have tried not merely to talk about the issues, but to
work with others to find solutions, both inside and outside the
Commission, which could have a positive impact. Over the past year, I
participated in the NAB Education Foundation series for women and
minorities who are interested in purchasing and operating a local
broadcast station; I attended the Hispanic Broadcasters Association
Financing and Capitalization Seminar; and I have worked with the
National Association of Black Owned Broadcasters at other outreach
events. At these events, when women and minority broadcasters discuss
challenges they face, financing is always at the top of the list. This
is true with those who are just starting out, and those who have been in
the industry for years. I am very pleased that the Commission is
presently considering a number of proposals to assist women and
minorities, specifically with both capital and debt financing. In
addition, I have offered to lend my support to an annual conference to
partner potential financiers with broadcasters to discuss investment
opportunities. Another recommendation before the Commission is allowing
minority and women broadcasters to purchase expiring construction
permits, and giving them the duration of the permit, or 18 months, to
complete construction. Finally, we continue to discuss changing the
Equity-Debt Plus (EDP) attribution rule so that investors' concerns with
ownership limits will not prevent them from making investments they
would otherwise consider.

Let there be no doubt that women -- many of whom are also
African-American -- are indeed succeeding in this industry. Look for
example at Cathy Hughes, founder and chairperson of Radio One/TV One,
Inc., the largest African-American-owned and operated broadcast company
in the United States, or Susan Davenport Austin, Vice President and
Treasurer of Sheridan Broadcasting Corporation, which manages the only
African-American-owned national radio network. And then there is
Caroline Beasley, Executive Vice President and CFO of Beasley Broadcast
Group, Inc., the 18^th^ largest radio broadcasting company in the
country, and Susan Patrick, co-owner Legend Communications, who has been
in the media brokerage business for more than 20 years. I hope that we
will employ every possible avenue to have a more positive impact on the
diversity of both voices and ownership.

I look forward to hearing your thoughts and working with you on these
and many other important issues facing the Commission, Congress, and our
nation.