Technology and Innovation
"The American people want us to be focusing on creating jobs and rebuilding our economy. Congress needs to start working together to forge bipartisan solutions that embrace the innovative new world of tomorrow’s econonomic opportunities." - Rep. Waxman
Rep. Waxman serves as Ranking Member of the House Committee on Energy and Commerce, which has jurisdiction over telecommunications policy and the Federal Communications Commission. Rep. Waxman’s top telecommunications priorities are robust broadband deployment and adoption, affordable access to high speed internet services, consumer privacy, development of new generation technologies, and competition in the telecommunications marketplace.
An open Internet has allowed innovative start-ups to flourish, creating tens of thousands of employment opportunities and new competition in areas like telephone service, advertising, video, and online shopping. Rep. Waxman supports FCC guidelines that create clear rules for large corporations who would otherwise have the ability to carve up the Internet into fast and slow lanes, price up content, and create obstacles for small businesses and innovators. Rep. Waxman believe consumers, not corporations, should be in the driver’s seat to pick the content they view, listen and watch over the Internet.
Rep. Waxman played an instrumental role in the payroll tax relief conference committee's February 2012 agreement on landmark bipartisan legislation to ease the nation’s growing spectrum shortage, and to create a nationwide, interoperable broadband network for public safety officials. The legislation agreed to by the conferees was based on two existing pieces of legislation: H.R. 3630, the spectrum provisions passed by the House, and S. 911, bipartisan legislation approved by the Senate Commerce Committee. The conference report incorporated most of the auction-related provisions included in the House legislation, with changes regarding unlicensed spectrum and FCC auction rules. The public safety provisions are based on the national model outlined in S. 911, with changes to ensure flexibility for states.
The legislation provides citiizens and first responders with necessary and critical access to spectrum and advanced wireless broadband communications and allows us to meet the growing spectrum demands on wireless networks brought about by smartphones and tablets.