Solis: FCC Must Do More to Expand Diversity in Ownership, Ensure Minority and Low-Income Communities Not Left Behind

Press Release

Today, Congresswoman Hilda L. Solis (D-CA), a member of the Energy and Commerce Committee's Subcommittee on Telecommunications and the Internet, issued the following statement at an oversight hearing of the Federal Communications Commission (FCC).

"Today, we have an important opportunity to hold the Federal Communications Commission accountable for the first time in years.

"I represent parts of East Los Angeles and the San Gabriel Valley in California and communications services for minority and low-income communities is very important to my constituents. I am particularly troubled by a number of issues that have arisen in recent months that have caused me to question the FCC's commitment to diversity and competition.

"The video franchising order recently adopted by the commissions raises a number of troubling issues. Known as the ‘621 order', this order severely limits the ability of local communities to impose reasonable build-out requirements on new entrants to the video franchising market to prevent discriminatory deployment, especially in minority and low-income communities. Second, the 621 order highlights the troubling delays, this time of three months, between the press announcement of an order and the actual release of the text of an order. I urge the FCC to eliminate these delays to increase their fairness and transparency.

"I am also concerned about the FCC's commitment to diversity in media ownership and options for consumers. Recent studies on female and minority ownership of broadcast stations that just three percent of licensed full-power television stations are owned by minorities and fewer than five percent are owned by women.

"Chairman Martin's proposal for ‘a la carte' cable programming would limit diversity even further by endangering programming directed at and produced by women and minorities. If we are truly committed to providing a broad array of programming, then we must take significant steps to support programming for women and minorities, rather than limit options and raise rates for consumers through proposals like a la carte.

"I am also concerned about the FCC's lack of internal commitment to diversity. The Advisory Committee on Diversity for Communications in the Digital Age was established in 2003 to recommend practices to increase diversity of ownership and create opportunities for minorities and women in the communications sector. Four years later, hardly any of the Advisory Committee's recommendations have been adopted.

"Broadband deployment is very important to my district. We must make sure that the digital divide is closed as high speed internet becomes more available. We must also ensure that data accurately measures broadband penetration in minority and low-income communities.

"Finally, I look forward to the opportunity to question the FCC about its enforcement of decency and education requirements on Spanish language radio and television. I have long been concerned about the portrayal of women on Spanish language television and am concerned that the FCC has failed to fully ensure compliance of decency standards on Spanish language television.

"I look forward to hearing from the Chairman and Commissioners about their plans to expand diversity of ownership in our country and to ensure that minority and low-income communities are not left behind.

"Thank you again to our witnesses, and I look forward to hearing from you on these important issues."

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