ICYMI: Small Business Committee Hosts Roundtable on Burdensome FCC Regulations
WASHINGTON - Small Business Committee Members hosted a roundtable discussion on the impact of new Federal Communications Commission (FCC) regulations and reporting requirements on rural telecommunications and broadband deployment for small firms.
The discussion was led by Small Business Subcommittee on Health and Technology Chairwoman Aumua Amata Coleman Radewagen (R-American Samoa).
"As we continue to work through the 114th Congress, it is my goal to ensure that we do all we can to assist telecommunications companies in their efforts to increase access in rural areas for small businesses,"said Chairwoman Aumua Amata Coleman Radewagen. "Our nation's small businesses make up 99.7 percent of the United States' employer firms, and we must make sure that they have the tools and capabilities to compete on a global scale."
"It is clear that the FCC needs to be much more responsive to the needs of small companies," said Full Committee Chairman Steve Chabot (R-OH). "One-size-fits-all mandates from FCC bureaucrats in Washington simply do not account for the variety and complexity of the telecommunications challenges faced by small firms in rural America."
Both Chabot and Radewagen reaffirmed their support for Universal Service Fund (USF) reform, a top priority for small telecommunications providers such as those participating in the roundtable.
Participants included representatives from the Competitive Carriers Association, the Western Telecom Alliance, the National Telephone Cooperative Association's Rural Broadband Association, the Independent Telephone & Telecommunications Alliance (ITTA) and the Small Company Coalition.
Protecting small businesses from the FCC's regulatory overreach has been a key priority of the Small Business Committee this Congress. Last week, all Republican Committee Members signed a letter to FCC Chairman Tom Wheeler urging the FCC to permanently exempt small businesses from onerous requirements under the Net Neutrality regulations issued earlier this year.