Communications & Technology

Washington, D.C. —  Subcommittee on Communications and Technology Chair Bob Latta (R-OH) delivered opening remarks at today’s Communications and Technology Subcommittee hearing titled “ Listen Here: Why Americans Value AM Radio .” Excerpts and highlights below: THE INTEGRAL ROLE OF AM RADIO “AM radio has been an integral part of our society for well over a century, connecting Americans to local news and serving as the backbone to our nation’s emergency communications infrastructure. “More than 45 million Americans tune into AM radio each month. They rely on it for local news, weather, sports, and emergency alerts. “Its unique frequency characteristics allow signals to travel far and wide, overcoming geographical barriers and reaching both urban and remote areas. “This makes AM radio an invaluable tool during times of crisis. “When hurricanes, tornadoes, or other natural disasters strike, AM radio remains steadfast, providing vital information to those in affected areas when other communication channels fail. “In fact, a few years ago, I was traveling through my district when it came on the radio that there was a tornado on the ground. “I switched to my local AM radio station playing in real time weather alerts that allowed me to know the exact path of the tornado. “With that information, I was able to safely drive home, avoiding the storms’ path. “In times of emergency, information is power, and AM radio remains a primary source for emergency reports.” AM RADIO IS KEY TO LOCAL NEWS AND THE COMMUNITY “Local broadcasters have long served as the trusted voice delivering real-time updates, weather alerts, evacuation instructions, and other critical information that can mean the difference between life and death. “Beyond emergency situations, AM radio plays a key role in local news and community engagement. “From news and cultural progams, to sports coverage and talk shows, AM radio keeps us connected to our community. These stations provide a platform for discussion, education, and entertainment. “Importantly, AM radio reaches a wide demographic, ranging from seniors to rural and underserved communities. “It serves as a source of information that is accessible to all, regardless of socio-economic status or access to the Internet.” SOME AUTO MANUFACTURERS TAKING AWAY AM RADIO “Today’s hearing is a result of announcements by many car manufacturers that they intend to remove AM radio in certain vehicles due to the interference between the AM radio receivers and batteries in electric vehicles. “As some manufacturers shared in response to a letter I led last month with my colleague, the gentleman from Indiana’s sixth District, the electromagnetic waves emitted by an electric vehicle’s battery interfere with the incoming AM radio waves, causing the sound to buzz and fade. “To solve this interference, some auto manufacturers are installing shields and filters to protect the receiver against this interference. “In other cases, it appears that cars are equipping their new models with AM radio capability, but have it disabled. “However, some automakers are considering or are actively removing AM radio receivers from new vehicles altogether, regardless of engine type. “I look forward to hearing from our witnesses today about the public safety dangers of removing AM radio and possible solutions to combatting signal interference. “Removing AM radio receivers from vehicles means individuals may miss out on critical—life saving—updates. “We must ensure that no community is left behind, no voice is silenced, and no emergency response is compromised.”

Washington, D.C. — House Energy and Commerce Committee Chair Cathy McMorris Rodgers (R-WA) delivered opening remarks at today’s Communications and Technology Subcommittee hearing titled “ Listen Here: Why Americans Value AM Radio .” Excerpts and highlights below: AM RADIO IS VITAL FOR RURAL AMERICANS “My constituents in Eastern Washington rely on AM radio. “It is how they hear the news in their communities, listen to sports, and receive information during emergencies. “In many parts of my district, FM radio is spotty and there is no access to broadband, so AM radio is the only option. “Which is why it’s concerning that some vehicle manufacturers have taken steps recently to remove AM radios from new car models. “This is in part a result of the Biden administration’s rush to green agenda as they push for electric vehicles, because electric vehicle batteries cause interference to AM frequencies, resulting in bad reception. “The decision to remove AM radio from cars would affect tens of millions of Americans—some estimates suggest that more than 45 million Americans tuned into AM radio each month. “While people in some parts of the country have been able to take advantage of alternative options in vehicles for accessing AM radio, like through a streaming service, many parts of the country still lack access to reliable broadband services, meaning this option would be unavailable. “That includes people in my community who are raising the alarm and sending the message that they like their AM Radio.” AM RADIO SAVES LIVES “They’re concerned that they could lose access to vital information services like the National Public Warning System. “Unlike its FM counterpart, AM radio signals travel long distances and pass through obstacles such as buildings, hills, and dense vegetation. “These characteristics ensure that potentially lifesaving information reaches a large audience, especially in rural areas with limited access to other forms of communication. “The Federal Emergency Management Agency, FEMA, has also worked to reinforce AM Radio base stations to mitigate risks resulting from events like natural disasters.” KEEPING COMMUNITIES INFORMED & CONNECTED “And rural communities in particular rely on the services provided by AM radio, especially when they have only limited access to high-speed broadband and streamed services, or don’t have any access at all. “These services are important for farmers and ranchers, who use AM radio to receive information on the weather, crop reports, and other vital information for their livelihoods. “AM radio fosters a sense of local identity, connecting people through regional programming that reflects the unique perspectives and traditions of their communities. “Local media on AM radio is closer to the people, telling the stories and sharing the perspectives that the national news doesn’t cover and sometimes ignores, and it plays a crucial role in government accountability, acting as a watchdog for local school boards, county officials, regional courts, and other government bodies. “Further, AM radio continues to be a key outlet for talk radio shows to connect with audiences across the country. “Rush Limbaugh, for instance, had around 15 million listeners tuning in each week to his show, which was broadcast across 650 stations at its peak. “These are vital sources of information that keep people engaged and connected to their local community, region, and the voices and perspectives they value in their lives. “Whether they’re tuning in for local news, agricultural and weather reports, information during an emergency, or to listen to their favorite talk radio personality, AM radio continues to be a popular way for Americans to stay connected. “I look forward to our discussion, and I’m grateful for our experts today who share our goal to both celebrate American innovation, ensure people can use this critical communications tool, and the listen to AM Radio stations important to them.”

Washington, D.C. — Energy and Commerce Committee Chair Cathy McMorris Rodgers (R-WA), Ranking Member Frank Pallone, Jr. (D-NJ), Communications and Technology Subcommittee Chair Bob Latta (R-OH), and Subcommittee Ranking Member Doris Matsui (D-CA) today announced the Communications and Technology Subcommittee will hold a hearing on June 6, 2023, to examine the role of AM radio following reports that it may be removed in certain vehicles.  Subcommittee on Communications and Technology hearing titled: “Listen Here: Why Americans Value AM Radio”   WHAT: Communications and Technology Subcommittee hearing on importance of AM radio in new cars.  DATE: Tuesday, June 6, 2023  TIME: 10:00 AM ET  LOCATION: 2123 Rayburn House Office Building  This notice is at the direction of the Chair. The hearing will be open to the public and press and will be live streamed online at https://energycommerce.house.gov/ .  If you have any questions concerning the hearing, please contact Noah Jackson at Noah.Jackson@mail.house.gov . If you have any press-related questions, please contact Sean Kelly at Sean.Kelly@mail.house.gov .  NOTE: On May 23, 2023, the Energy and Commerce first announced its plans to hold this hearing. CLICK HERE to read statements from Chair Rodgers, Ranking Member Pallone, Subcommittee Chair Latta, and Subcommittee Ranking Member Matsui. 

Members press companies to answer what information is collected and where it is sold Washington, D.C. — House Energy and Commerce Committee Republicans, led by Chair Cathy McMorris Rodgers (R-WA) and Committee Democrats, led by Ranking Member Frank Pallone, Jr. (D-NJ), today wrote to the heads of data broker companies, requesting information to help the Committee protect Americans’ data from misuse. They were joined by Subcommittee on Oversight and Investigations Chair Morgan Griffith (R-VA) and Ranking Member Kathy Castor (D-FL), Subcommittee on Innovation, Data and Commerce Chair Gus Bilirakis (R-FL) and Ranking Member Jan Schakowsky (D-IL), Subcommittee on Health Chair Brett Guthrie (R-KY) and Ranking Member Anna G. Eshoo (D-CA), and Subcommittee on Communications and Technology Chair Bob Latta (R-OH) and Ranking Member Doris Matsui (D-CA).  BACKGROUND:   The Subcommittee on Oversight and Investigations launched a bipartisan investigation at a hearing on April 19, 2023, titled “Who is Selling Your Data: A Critical Examination of the Role of Data Brokers in the Digital Economy.”  Data brokers purchase, collect, aggregate, license, sell, or otherwise share a wide range of information from Americans, including but not limited to demographic, location, and health data.  These companies profit from trading in Americans’ personal information, including sensitive information, often with little government oversight and in some cases, without any concern for how buyers use the consumer data that they purchase from brokers.  A recent study from Duke University found, for example, that “some data brokers are marketing highly sensitive data on individuals’ mental health conditions on the open market, with seemingly minimal vetting of customers and seemingly few controls on the use of purchased data.”  KEY EXCERPT:   “American privacy concerns in the data broker industry are not new, and existing laws do not sufficiently protect Americans’ data from misuse. In 2014, the FTC issued a report recommending that Congress require data brokers to increase transparency and give Americans more control of their data. However, data brokers can easily circumvent existing rules and laws regarding the collection and sharing of certain types of data, such as HIPAA.   “Enacting a comprehensive federal privacy law is a top priority for the Committee on Energy and Commerce. Currently, Americans do not have control over whether and where their personal data is sold and shared; they have no guaranteed way to access, delete, or correct their data; and, they have no ability to stop the unchecked collection of their sensitive personal information. According to the Electronic Privacy Information Center, the overcollection and secondary uses of personal data, including the sale to and use by data brokers, are inconsistent with the reasonable expectations of online consumers and may lead to discriminatory targeting that violates the privacy and autonomy of consumers.”  The leaders asked the companies for information pertinent to helping the Committee understand how data brokers purchase, collect, use, license, and sell Americans’ data, including:  What data elements do you possess on Americans and market to your clients?   In particular, do you possess any of the following:  Americans’ health data? If yes, what kind of health data?  Americans’ location data? If yes, what data elements?  Americans’ phone data, such as data on any apps downloaded on their mobile devices? If yes, what data elements?  Information revealing Americans’ purchase history? If yes, what data elements?  Information about children under the age of 13?  Information about children between the ages of 13 and 18?  Are there any categories of Americans’ personal information that you will not purchase, collect, aggregate, license, or sell and, if so, what categories are those?  When you license, sell, or otherwise share Americans’ personal information with your clients, do you require your clients to disclose the purpose(s) for which they will use the data?   If so, what do you do, if anything, to confirm they are using the data for the stated purpose(s)?  How much money did you spend in each of the past five years on purchasing or licensing Americans’ personal information?  What percentage of your annual revenue for each of the past five years was derived from selling or licensing Americans’ personal information?  How many clients did you sell or license Americans’ personal information to?  Does your company use the personal information of Americans that you purchase, collect, or aggregate to categorize people based on income, sex, age, race, or other categories?  What steps, if any, does your company take to protect data of users under eighteen?  When you become aware that you or your clients have transferred Americans’ personal information to a foreign adversary or a company beholden to a foreign adversary—currently defined by the Secretary of Commerce to include China, Russia, North Korea, Cuba, the Maduro regime in Venezuela, and Iran—do you notify the individual(s) whose personal information has been transferred or any U.S. government entity? If not, why not?  You can view the letters below:  Acxiom LLC AtData Babel Street   CoreLogic Solutions, LLC   Epsilon Data Management, LLC Equifax   Experian   Gravy Analytics, Inc. Intelius, LLC Kochava Inc. LiveRamp, Inc. Mylife   Oracle America, Inc.   PeopleConnect, Inc. Placer.ai   RELX Safegraph Inc. Spokeo, Inc.   Thomson Reuters   TransUnion   Verisk Analytics   Whitepages, Inc.

Washington, D.C. – House Energy and Commerce Committee Chair Cathy McMorris Rodgers (R-WA) and U.S. Senate Commerce Committee Ranking Member Sen. Ted Cruz (R-TX) are seeking answers to a decision by the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) that effectively blocks the Standard General-TEGNA transaction. In a  letter  sent today to FCC Chair Jessica Rosenworcel, the lawmakers want to know why the FCC broke Commission rules and precedent in sending the transaction to an Administrative Law Judge for review without a Commission-level vote. Chair Rodgers and Ranking Member Cruz wrote: “On February 24, 2023, Standard General’s plans to acquire TEGNA’s 61 full-power TV stations and two full-power radio stations were thwarted when the FCC’s Media Bureau, purportedly acting under Commission-delegated authority, issued a Hearing Designation Order (“HDO”) that referred the transaction to an Administrative Law Judge (“ALJ”) hearing. In the past 30 years, no broadcast license transfer has gone through the hearing process in less than 358 days (the average time is 799 days). With the deadline for financing of the Standard General-TEGNA deal expiring on May 22, 2023, the Media Bureau’s action effectively kills the transaction. “The Media Bureau’s decision to send the transaction to an ALJ hearing violates Commission rules and precedents in several ways. First, to keep the Commission accountable to Congress and the public, a full Commission vote is required for certain matters, particularly those involving novel issues and/or significant legal or policy consequences. Designating a multi-billion-dollar transaction such as the Standard General-TEGNA transaction for an ALJ hearing is precisely the type of serious decision for which commissioners must take responsibility. The last time the FCC referred a major transaction to an ALJ, the decision was made at the Commission level, and the FCC should not have departed from that precedent. Second, the Media Bureau’s HDO relied on novel interpretations of the Commission’s public interest standard and appeared to ignore—if not contradict—the Commission’s precedent that ‘an increase in retransmission consent rates, by itself’ does not constitute a public interest harm. Third, under Commission precedent, the Media Bureau should have provided the full Commission 48 hours’ notice before issuing the HDO on February 24, 2023. It did not.” Chair Rodgers and Ranking Member Cruz also raised concerns regarding previous reporting suggesting that a former TEGNA bidder’s political connections with influential Democrats may have played a role in the FCC’s decision to stray from precedent, writing: “Given these departures from precedent, it is no surprise that the decision has raised questions about the Commission’s fairness. According to numerous public reports, outside interests pushed Commission officials to block this transaction in order to pave the way for an alternative buyer, namely Byron Allen. For example, the Wall Street Journal reported that Mr. Allen’s Allen Media Group had previously tried, unsuccessfully, to acquire TEGNA in the fall of 2021. Coincidentally, Mr. Allen is a major Democratic donor. In 2021, he donated $2,900 to Nancy Pelosi’s campaign fund, $5,000 to PAC to the Future, $44,000 to the Nancy Pelosi Victory Fund, and $255,500 to the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee, among others. After the Standard General-TEGNA transaction was announced in 2022, he donated $250,000 to the House Majority PAC and $100,000 to the Senate Majority PAC. Some have observed that the well-connected Mr. Allen is ‘the most likely beneficiary if the Standard General deal falls through.’” In addition, Chair Rodgers and Ranking Member Cruz request the FCC give details about previous Hearing Designation Orders involving similar matters and specifics regarding the FCC’s handling of the Standard General-TEGNA transaction, including whether or not anyone in the chairwoman’s office had any contact with Byron Allen or anyone affiliated with Allen Media Group. The full text of the letter is available HERE . 

American People Deserve Full Accounting of Funds   Washington, D.C. —  House Energy and Commerce Committee Chair Cathy Rodgers (R-WA) and Subcommittee on Oversight and Investigations Chair Morgan Griffith (R-VA), along with the chairs of the subcommittee of jurisdiction, today wrote letters to the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), Department of Energy (DOE), Federal Communications Commission (FCC), and National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA), requesting a full accounting of how they’ve spent taxpayer dollars. KEY LETTER EXCERPT : “Over the past two years, under one-party, Democratic rule, Congress and the Biden administration have spent trillions of dollars across the federal government. Beginning with the American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) and most recently with the so-called Inflation Reduction Act (IRA),  Democrats have funneled an excessive amount of taxpayer dollars to advance their radical, progressive agenda and to benefit their political allies. The American people deserve a full, transparent, and regular accounting of the funds  that have been spent, where the funds have gone, who has benefited, and how much remains.”  The Chairs specifically requested funding information from: ARPA, the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (IIJA), the CHIPS and Science Act, and the IRA, including but not limited to:  1. The total amount of funding from each Act that has been obligated to date. 2. A list of each financial award funded, in part or in full, by these laws, including the following information for each award: a.    All recipients for which funding has been expended. b.    All recipients for which funding has been obligated. c.     The amount of funding that has been obligated for each recipient. d.    A description of the project funded. e.    The type of award (i.e., grant, loan, etc.). 3. The number, job title, compensation, and duties of any employees, contractors, or consultants who have been hired or engaged using the funding, in whole or in part. 4. An accounting of the funds that have not yet been obligated. CLICK HERE  to read the letter from Chairs Rodgers and Griffith and Subcommittee on Energy, Climate, and Grid Security Chair Jeff Duncan (R-SC) to DOE Secretary Jennifer Granholm regarding more the than $100 billion above annual appropriations and the more than 60 new programs created with little Congressional scrutiny of long-term taxpayer risks.  CLICK HERE  to read the letter from Chairs Rodgers and Griffith and Health Subcommittee Chair Brett Guthrie (R-KY) to HHS Secretary Xavier Becerra requesting information related to:  The IRA’s Implementation Fund designed to carry out the law’s drug pricing provisions  The Provider Relief Fund has had $178 billion appropriated into it  Vaccine Education Funding, which includes more than a billion dollars  Funding appropriated COVID-19 Vaccines, Therapeutics, Testing, and Supplies, which the Biden administration rerouted billions to other programs—like housing illegal immigrants at the border—before asking Congress for additional resources  CLICK HERE   to read the letter from Chairs Rodgers and Griffith and Subcommittee on Communications and Technology Chair Bob Latta (R-OH) to FCC Chair Jessica Rosenworcel requesting information related to:  $98 million to implement the Broadband DATA Act, as well as the status of the broadband map development   $450 million for the COVID-19 telehealth program $3.2 billion for the Emergency Broadband Benefit   $7.17 billion for the Emergency Connectivity Fund program  $14.2 billion for the Affordable Broadband Benefit  CLICK HERE   to read the letter from Chairs Rodgers, Griffith and Latta to NTIA Assistant Secretary of Commerce for Communications and Information Alan Davidson requesting information related to: $300 million for the Broadband Infrastructure Program  $3 billion for tribal broadband deployment  $285 million for the Connecting Minority Communities Program $42.45 billion for the Broadband, Equity, Accessibility, and Deployment (BEAD) Program $2.75 billion for digital equity grants $1 billion for middle mile infrastructure