war was a male-dominated profession. >> there was no embedding like we have now. there was no military censorship per se, so it was probably the first and last uncensored american work. the south vietnamese heather censorship in the post and telegraph, but -- so it was for women a gift because it was only because of this lack of codification, this openness that women could get through what had been the biggest barrier as a war correspondent big were not allowed on the field. >> elizabeth becker with her book you don't belong here sunday night at eight eastern on c-span's q&a. you can listen to q&a and all of our podcast on a free c-span now have. >> necks, hearing to examine potential changes congress is considering to communication

laws. house energy and commerce subcommittee held visiting. they also talked of ways to make affordable broadband services more widely available. the hearing runs just over two and halff hours. >> the subcommittee on communications and technology will now come to order. today the subcommittee on communications and technology is holding a hearing entitled stretching our communications networks to connect and protected due to the covid-19 public housing emergency today's hearing is being held remotely. all members and witnesses who are participating via videoconferencing. as part of adhering microphones will be set on you for the purpose of eliminating inadvertent background noise. members and witnesses you will need to unmute your microphone each time you wish to speak. documents for the record can be sent to the email e-mail e

have provided to staff. our documents will be entered into the record at the conclusion of the hearing. the chair now recognizes herself for five minutes for an opening statement. back in march, this committee met to execute one of its most important functions, holding an fcc oversight hearing. at that hearing one thing was abundantly clear, there is bipartisan agreement that we cannot let the fcc's auction authority lapse under any circumstances. congress has extended the fcc's spectrum auction authority on a bipartisan basis several times over the last three decades and has never let it lapse. i am committed to keeping that unbroken record intact. it is no exaggeration to say that the fcc truly sets the global benchmark for spectrum auctions. to date, the commission has held 98 auctions awarding more than 94,000 licenses and permits, raised more than $233 billion in revenues, and provided more than

$1 trillion in benefits for thee american people. but the stakes are even higher right now. in july, the fcc will be kicking-off the 2.5 gigahertz auction bringing more needed mid-band spectrum to market. even a brief lapse in fcc auction authority could jeopardize licenses from being awarded and delay the carriers' ability to supercharge their networks with this 5g-ready spectrum. that cannot happen. the inclusion of congresswoman davids' extending america's spectrum auction leadership act on today's agenda can prevent that. it would extend the fcc's general auction authority for an additional 18 months to marchnd 31, 2024 providing the needed time to complete the 2.5 gigahertz auction. i look forward to working in a bipartisan, bicameral way to give the fcc the authority it needs to maintain america's position as the pacesetter in

wireless communications. i'm also excited to see congressman guthrie's smart act on the agenda today. as my fellow co-chair of the congressional spectrum caucus, we've worked together on more legislation than i can count, and the smart act is no different. this important bill would improve spectrum management in the united states by establishing a standardized framework to facilitate spectrum sharing between federal and non-federal users. while i'm interested in pursuing some clarifying edits with congressman guthrie, i'm confident they can be done on a bipartisan basis and set the path for a smooth markup an' quick consideration on the floor. this bill is smart public policy and tackles an emerging but crucial issue in american spectrum leadership. congressman carter's its codification act would also reinforce america's leadership in innovation by providing statutory authority for ntia's institute for telecommunication sciences.

as the research and engineering arm of ntia, its advancesnc innovation in communications technologies through cutting-edge research. the its codification act also establishes an initiative at ntia to develop emergency communication technologies for use in locating individuals trapped in areas where mobile connectivity may not be available. we also have two bills on the agenda that will increase broadband access and provide new protections to help survivors of domestic violence and human trafficking. representatives luria and katko's ensuring phone and internet access for snap recipients act establishes new reporting requirements to help track and improve lifeline enrollment among snap participants. ensuring critical assistance programs are working together to serve participants will help c

deliver better services to those who need them most. especially as we continue to recover from the pandemic, i believe this bill will help provide information to improve the lifeline program. additionally, representativesin kuster and eshoo's safe connections act establishes new protections that will help survivors of domestic violence and human trafficking gain independence. too often, survivors of crimes like domestic violence, dating violence, stalking, sexual assault, and human trafficking remains stuck on a family or shared wireless phone plan. this allows their abusers to limit their access to family, social safety networks, employers, and support services. the safe connections act empowers survivors by allowing them to separate a mobile phone line from any shared plan involving an abuser without penalty, including the lines of any dependents in their care. and it requires the fcc to

initiate two rulemakings to connect survivors to the lifeline program and ensure calls or texts to hotlines do not appear on call logs. it's smart policy and i hope our committee will consider it at a mark-up as soon as possible. i want to thank the authors of these bills and the witnesses for appearing today. i look forward to hearing your testimony and now want to recognize my friend, ranking member latta, for his opening statement. >> thank you very much, madam chair. thank you very much for calling today's hearing and also thank you to our witnesses are appearing before us, appreciate it. as our nation spectrum resource to become more sense, good public policy plays ans increasingly important role in ensuring efficient use. i am encouraged that today this subcommittee is considering legislation that will allow the united states to better utilize these valuable airways for economic growth and innovation.

recently, chairman doyle and i introduced the spectrum innovation act to accelerate commercial access to the lower three gigahertz bands. access to this mid and spectrum is needed tois bring 5g farms ad households across rural america proud to work with my colleagues to come to an agreement on this legislation, which should be sent to the president to desk. i'm please wherewe considering e extending america's spectrum auction leadership package of 2n extends the fcc's authority to conduct spectrum auctions and issue licenses for 18 months which will allow the fcc to continue its ongoing work to make more spectrum available for commercial use without congressional action, the fcc's authority will expire on september 30 of this year, and i urge swift passage of this bipartisan legislation to avoid any disruption to theti fcc's plan auction activities like auctioning the 2.5 gigahertz band here while these are great

steps forward, her work is far from over. the sec ntia continue to identify opportunities to use spectrum more efficiently which remains -- grossman spectrum resources become more productive. productive. fortunately with engineers at ntia for telecommunication scientist, ideas, to play a critical role in advancing technologies that help ntia manage federal spectrum resources. ids playedye a key role in developing the solution to spectrum sharing between federal and commercial users, and the citizens broadband radio service band. spectrum has been previously been underutilized by the federal government and is not able to be used commercially for 5g for 5g of protecting federale encompass. its role will only continue to grow in its importance as spectrum repurchasing decisions become more difficult which is why mr. carter's legislation

h.r. 4990, the ideas codification act is so important. this legislation takes an important step forward bypo strengthening its authority and recognizes there contribution te lab makes to our wireless economy. in order to identify areas where federal spectrum use can be more efficient, congress must provide ntia with necessary tools to advance the spectrum management mission. to further this effort mr. guthrie smart act requires ntia to establish and incumbent informing capability to take a holistic view of how federal users are using spectrum resources across the government to identify opportunities for new commercial uses while preserving federal missions that keep our countrypr safe. as the spectrum management decision become more difficult, we must utilize every tool in the toolbox efficiently use these at ways to provide certainty for commercial

investment in wireless development. i am pleased to see the legislation on today's hearing and look for to discussing these important topics. thank you, madam chair, and i yield back the balance of my time. >> the gentleman yields back to the chair recognizes mr. vallone, chairman of the full committee, for five minutes for his opening statement. >> thank you, chairwoman matsui. it's good to see you chairing the subcommittee today and let me point out to our members that this is what we call a virtual committee week, as set by the speaker and there are three committee days, today, tomorrow and thursday and we are having a subcommittee hearing each of those days, two of which are legislative hearings so we're always busy even when we are virtual. we are continuing this committees longtime work in the subcommittee of ensuring that our nation's communications networks are stable, secure, and reliable. communication networks are essential infrastructure.

they help connect friends andnn families, relay emergency communication to d the public, allow business operations to run more efficiently and effectively, and deliver education and health services. at today's legislative hearing we will discuss five bills, most of which are bipartisan, on a broad range of proposals aimed at ensuring that these invaluable networks continue to deliver this critical service to consumers. i would like to, and get my own view on these bills. first, i am pleased we are considering h.r. 7783, the extending america's spectrum auction leadership act, introduced by representatives davids, joyce, welch, and johnson. .. lay the groundwork for innovation in this country. this legislation is no exception. it will extend spectrum auction authority for the fcc for 18 months. as a result, the fcc will be able to hold its planned auction

of the 2.5 gigahertz band without disruption and fully close out auctions that have occurred. congress has never led the fcc spectrum authority lapse since authorizing it in the early 1990's. i'm pleased taking this step today. i want to thank the fcc chairwoman for her leadership on this issue and emphasizing the importance of it. i'm hopeful congress can come together to use the funding to important priorities and a replacement of suspect communications among other good ideas. we are considering hr .>> .>>

. >> for snap recipients act introduced since 1985 to provide a discount on phone service to qualifying american shows only a fraction in the program. requires the sec to report to congress on the lifeline program and enrollment of individuals participating in snap also requiring the sec

reporting to congress and the lifeline program. finally we will consider two bills at the work of the national telecommunications administration and that is representatives carter and cosponsored by representative o'halloran and then the smart act and collectively they provide ca with access to innovative management solutions led in part by the institute for telecommunications. as engineering laboratory to have robust development with infrastructure to protect global internet so i went to recognize the party member of our team.

needed from new jersey and has done terrific work forea the committee over the past five years since joining us from the stc now headed to a new role at the end tia. we know the incredible work they have only went to wishard nothing but the best. thank you and i yield back the balance of my time. >> the gentleman yield back not the ranking member of the full committee is recognized for five. >> thank you madame chair good morning. the success of the nation's wireless future dependslee on spar management of our resources earlier they should we had a a hearing on spectrum issues where we heard overwhelming support to extend the fcc spectrum auction authority to ensure the successful competition the

upcoming option allows carriers to expand 5g across the united states and i'm pleased to announce this committee responded. today we are considering bipartisan legislation to extend the auction authority for 18 months through march 2024 this will ensure the ongoing activities through the gigahertz option the sec can use the licenses that they did. want to think that chairman for working with us to reach this bipartisan agreement and i look forward to advancing this legislation. demand for wireless technology grows we needws to adapt to make sure resources are used efficiently. that is critical to repurpose spectrum it is becoming increasingly difficult to find

the band that is unencumbered i am pleased we are considering the smart act today which requires and tia to establish the cable bill push rollout anded ta to have usage across the federal government and help them improve spectrum used efficiently while also protecting nationall security. the codification act will codify the important duties and tia telecommunications the premier radiofrequency laboratory from the agency's responsibilities with repurpose seeing opportunities and to certify new technology continuing to advance american wireless leadership. it depends on o our ability to develop innovative solutions

to repurpose spectrum for commercial use. this will ensure resources are available for future use has not yet known and maintains united statess reputation as the number oneti place for businesses to invest andnd innovation and grow the economy. this committee is leading on solutions to make spectrum resources available. to unleash the full potential of legislation, we need to address barriers for infrastructure we are waiting on a package of bills to bruce broadband conductivity agenda which rollback duplicative burdensome regulations and permit requirements to speed of deployment without permitting reform it would be difficult for the united states to compete and beat china the committee will miss an opportunity to strengthen american leadership with

technology. we are also considering legislation of human trafficking to separate from any mobile contrast with their abuser and those to make those bills and we stand ready to work with ourag colleagues to find a solution survivors must have the freedom to have a new start to be safe and secure to separate from their abuser quickly a hearing is a great first step to discuss these bills and hears witnesses how they will impact the marketplace i look forward to hearing from all of you and i yield back to my time. >> we like to remind members pursuant to committee rules those that should be made part record. i like to introduce our

witnesses for today's hearing. doctor thomas country university of georgia school ofof law. mr. mark gibson director of development and spectrum policy regulatory officer of the ongoing alliance senior director telecommunications policy national urban league and at this time theld chair will recognize each witness to five minutes to revive an opening statement you are recognized for five minutes. >> thank you and with the distinguish members of the subcommittee for the then to

caesar not necessarily those of my clients did you that they share and then with additionalal spectrum for those uses and they fear their responsibilities thank you to the committee for their commitment with that spectrum management with those preference for sharing and for congressman get three to introduce this legislation to

be complex. and then to have continued us leadership and to spur economic growth while ensuring the agency has the spectrum to meet their mission. and with that codification act to ensure that and tia can manage the country spectrum with those spectrum management efforts with those entities and other government agencies and then to have support and also commending the congressman and in recent

years they were increasingly challenging introducing the new joint spectrum coordination initiative developing that strategy is essential to includete identifying additional spectrum while continuing to ensure federal agencies of course something it doesn't have the authority with that spectrum. in addition but is higher intercede of spectrum with federal revenue to significantly reduce and then for the 911 grants. also helps fr repurpose in seeing in the

spectrum relocation fund. for the expansion of the spectrum authority, the leadership compromising -- [indiscernible] [indiscernible] this subcommittee has an important role to play in overseeing the national strategy identifying additional spectrum bands for repurpose thing. we urge the committee to continue with the existing spectrum management framework. the letter to the house and senate commerce committee leaders. it includes recommendations for updating the commercial spectrum enhancement act for more spectrum. it is an effective tool, but there is room for improvement. further by removing the

capability which then would allow users to modernize their allocated equipment as part of a special reallocation process to relinquish the spectrum band. in addition, the cost for the impacts for strong -- [indiscernible] issues affecting commercial providers. thank you for allowing me to share my perspective on pending legislation to improve our spectrum management activities. i look forward to answering any questions you may have. >> thank you. dr. condrey, you are recognized for five minutes. >> >> thank you.

distinguish members of the subcommittee i greatly appreciate the opportunity to testify before you today. my professor at the university of georgia also affiliated with the institute for women's studies and institute for five orte cybersecurity i have my phd from moscow research focuses on the legal technological regulation of privacy beach and abuse and with the cornell clinic's and then to advise the makers how to address them i use the term digital abuse to reform probably have people exploit technology to harm others more specifically it involves using technology to control, harass stock or threaten someone in a way that invades that policy emotionally reputation only or financially. additional abuses onn the rise

estimating 95 percent of cases involve technology while the national domestic violence hotline has seen a 155 percent increase reports of additional abuse between 2015 and 2018 and those numbers have surely grown during the pandemic. one out of three women and one out of six men have experienced abusive relationships given how central technology has become in our life interpersonal these can be predictable. but one common theme is that abusers view technology to be ever present inti the victim's life or at least to create that impression it might be tempting to focus on more sensational topics but to show

additional abuses mundane and it requires no sophistication relying on everyday services and a classic example is information that an abuser can gather from these plans exacerbate abuse even with the victim's attempt to escape in these underappreciated risks make them the snake in the grass of domestic violence. even a precise location of their device and abuser may find your they are currently hiding as well as any contact with family members are domestic violence hotlines are crisis centers. lead researcher people come in and report they left the abuser and have moved on to a new relationship and now all

of their contacts have been contacted byhe the abuser and there's no idea how the person got there but the victim and connect and to friends and crucial services to keepp them safe and if the objective does try to leave their family plan some charge high fees up to $350 per line in addition to demanding up front payment for any device being financed in installment. and then to exceed financial need especially when the abuser controls as common with domestic violence and no federal law allows victims and state law as an adequate protection without any right to get out of the family plan

especially with low income could be trapped in a contract that allows the abuser to control them. strong federal law empowering victims to the family plans would help people inpl all stateses with this connections act has significant progress in making itg easier to leave family plans for free and quickly and easily the same technology that could be a lifeline that could alsot subject them to interviews in a essential the complicated role in victim's lives like to see the consensus passed through congress and even the telecommunications industry is signaled support federal law was allowed those to make a clean break with minimum barriers that is a step in the look direction and i forward to your questions.

>> you are now recognized for five minutes. >> . >> check members of the subcommittee thank you for the opportunity to testify today and it's a pleasure to be here virtually. here today as a board member of the ongoing alliance and then for the development commercialization and adoption of lte inlu 5g solutions found that gigahertz radio service is a very important band for the 5g deployment as it is one of the first available and like to discuss how the legislation and proposal today's hearing enhances the importance and deployment it has lots and generate 2020 and nearly two and a half years well over 200,000 stations

across the country with all reaches of telecommunication cleaning support during covid on them poorly connected farmers have 5g technology and that help to connect the supply chain it literally saves lives it is a satellite service legacy broadband and the dod through the spectrum access system the role is to tell them what frequencies they canan operate on without causing interference with the broadband incumbents to know one of these operations and can easily perform courtesy availability analysis but for dod operations. it is not possible to know

exactly what they are located for national security. including environmental sensing capabilities. and with scores of coastal centers and then tell them to avoid the use. that means the sensors are sensitive to those that they can be susceptible to avoid interfering the devices as far as 25 or 50 miles from the center must operate at reduced power or avoid operating altogether with that de facto protection area with a device

operation is curtailed are extremely limited. they had tried to minimize these protections by placing sensors as close to the coast is possible that sometimes it is unmistakable because of that availability however there is a remedy to this problem and the nta has proposed creating a portal they are calling the rr i see it will allow for any federal spectrum user to notify with two minutes notice that would be communicated federal spectrum users to have time and duration and then misinformation could be

provided that would protect the areas as if they had sense the radar. and then currently there is timeline and then to have 5g operations including increased power levels allowing potential millions of people around the coast to benefit with this to fully support hr 5446 to simplify management reallocation spectrum act as smart act and we are honored and then to build a capability to allow for sharing. thank you again and i look forward to your questions. >> thank you.

you are now recognized for five minutes. >> thank you so much chairwoman. >> thank you for the opportunity to appear before you today. and of the telecommunications urban at the national league and halfee of the president and ceo. in the prior role as an advisor and its capacity to make policy recommendations and also the first person watching the live stream and that has changed. the nationall urban lead have long recognized that access to high-speed internet is a civil right. everyone needs broadband to

learn receiveoa healthcare no matter income no matter race or geographic location. last year and then those four goals that was the form that was everywhere getting everyone connected to create new economic opportunities to participate in the growth of the digital economy to have essential services recognize in order to achieve the goals we must have that connectivity gap includingng availability adoption and affordability today i will focus on affordability 47 million people in the united states are not able to afford broadband in this disproportionately impacts black and white also households 30 percent do not

have a home broadband connection prior tow the pandemic will income families were dependent on theon lifeline program which is the only federal program focused on providing affordable communications services to low income households. must be modernized to reach households who need it most. and then with the whole of government approach that is already a lifeline for millions of families and then to support the goal to ensure solid internet access. and then with the reports of congress by staff recipients also to report the federal assistance programs and then to advertise the program the requirements of the bill should be extended and that

was established by the bipartisan infrastructure law. 12million households have enrolled in that approximately 48 million households are eligible. congress and the sec have recognized from trusted organizations working on the ground the nationall urban league agrees. the burden of advertising should not fall solely on the shoulders of advocates who serve the underserved there need to be more resources provided. we also thinkeded about solutios to the future to expand the life of the program with the national urban league and we do believe congress should consider a number of ways to provide permit sustainable funding using proceeds from digital equity and affordability efforts in the

era of raisingng and can equality on a digital ecosystem we must recognize there is a moral imperative and an economic benefit to connect everyone to high-speed internet national should be encouraged are incentivized from underrepresented communities beyond entry-level positions. and then to let the economic benefits we have reached a critical juncture in history is time to move forward with the technology ecosystem that centers the needs ofmm communities of color and orlow-income communities thank you for the opportunity to provide testimony in a look forward to answering your questions. >> that concludes the opening

so i will start by recognizing myself for five minutes the estimates to congress earlier this week express congress to widely conclude fiscal year 2022 but also a certain post auction to require staff resources in fiscal year 23 so do you believe with the auction authority will help ensure the spectrum gets for that issue? >> yes. >> interested in supporting agencies to find innovative underutilized sections for commercial use

the smart act introduced by congress will provide research to support the development to have more federal coordination. why is it important to have a standardized framework with the commercial application quick. >> . >> thank you very much it's an excellent question project that has been conceived to facilitate which is supporting the share your spectrum and what we would do as noted in testimony is allow a more robust capability by doing with the networks that have been deployed in situations of issues of classification so

the concept is to move that responsibility over to the nti a to allow them to build a portal that spectrum users can put that into the portal and then at that information is made available to commercial users have protection for classification. so webe believe this is one of the best ways to effectuate sharing —- the ntiti a has noted whether federal commercial sharing. >> we need to keep looking for newpo opportunities for that pipeline to support satellite broadband and how does it play in the spectrum?

>> and unfortunately they cannot use those funds to have an comparable capabilities that is to the extent that is the end of the lifer decades-old and for them to expand the system capability they have to plan for repurposed things spectrum. >> the lifeline program experiencing economic hardship and at the onset of the pandemic i chairman pai urges take him to take steps as it becomes eligible was important

to continue to expand the wi-fi program dc additional a opportunities to streamline the lifeline enrollment process and then to increase awareness of the program. >> definitely. with the scores of understanding of where we are andet also will help us to understand who is eligible for the lifeline program is a full tour struggling with housing insecurity or food insecurity and then help organizations like the national urban league where we need to focus our efforts for the lifeline program and connectivity program. >> i yield back.

>> . >> thank you madame chair thank you try witnesses so sharing my questions with you and those wireless use cases and then to make more efficient use. and those great promise for enhancing the ability to manage spectrum for commercial use. this tool to give greater understanding of the federal spectrum users in the airways how does this promote better interagency coordination? >> that's an excellent question. as we all know the spectrum manager for the federal government it is ultimately

responsible for commercial users in that regard. that will allow other agencies to interface that can be used to make that information aware to the commercial spectrum users spectrum access system and otherwise it has constructed the concept for this so the concept should facilitate sharing to allow the federal spectrum users to put that usage capability into this that could be made available. >> hr 4275 insurers phone and internet access to require the sec to report on the

requirements of the lifeline program in the program. >> and then to better coordinate and then extended to other federal agencies it's important for us to know where we are and then caps on participation are and alsoll it's important to help us understand what effective advertising efforts there are out there as well does it have the new data collection quick. >> there is some data. i know there is with the database and those that are directly enrolled in the states with 13 percent.

and as a multitude of databases. not sure the sec has clarity how they are entering if they are eligible through programs. and then to pinpoint the information. >> and there is currently an ongoing discussion in that universe looks like and the money appropriated so not sure if this legislation isce necessary at this time. and with those additional tools andnd authorities of telecommunications scientist. is a significant user which to make available forla commercial users so what role that it is

play in the framework and how can that be utilized to address the c challenges quick. >> and with that interference measurements in the commercial systems that report was huge and made available initially in the commercial world can better understandol what role they play of mitigating interference so that was the first one. living through it s to do testing and on behalf of they tested against commerciall availability. and as they are working through this for the modeling efforts to help inform those

models. >> before i y yield back i have to i turn it over to my good friend have to be at a sentinel roundtable but i appreciateia today's hearing and thank you to the witnesses. i yield back. >> the chair recognizes the committee chairman for five minutes.es >> i tried to get three questions. and with that actor one —- access to spectrum in the news this auction authority to be extended in one minute.

>> and then for the next generation technology. losinge the ability and disproportionately the rolloutbe park is. >> thank you so much. i want to ask about the survivors of domestic violence. with those serious concern and studies indicate at least one out of four women in one out of ten men experience sexual violence and streaking by an intimate partner during their lifetime. and so the question is how can

mobile service plans place survivors of domestic violence and other related crimes and then with the ability to separate? >> absolutely the family plan allowing users to monitor so all of this information for family plans and that is so essential when the victimhe tries to leave very abusive relationship that same planning can create if the abuser discovers the imminent departure so we hear these all the time. those that were on the family plan and the abuser left the country permanently so the client cannot we get released

from the family plan but the abuser cannot even be contacted also other stories were people have struggled to get out of these plans. that could change the conditions to leave the plan quickly. >> andly with the lifeline program which you know provides eligible phone service. and then to keep in touch and then with a fraction of the 19 percent cell in your opinion can data reporting requirements hr 4275 help policymakers and community organizations to help those and for more people to sign

up. >> and then to asked to help community organizations raise awareness of thegu lifeline program and where we need to target our effort also about accountability relating to government agencies and to help people those most in need that we understand access to critical communications services is a lifeline program relating to economic opportunity for workers and a yours. and helps to close the opportunity gaps. >> . >> human asked questions. >> i am pleased we have together with bipartisan legislation the auction authority for 18 months and

then to complete the auction of the two.five gigahertz band but some people think that should be extended for a longer-term for ten years. what is the benefit of extending the auction authority for 18 months as a longer-term extension? >> i do think that extension can be beneficial at the most practical path you have any current socially identified we don't have an actual spectrum strategy either.

and as they are developing their national standards. >> and that experience to play in spectrum management the federal lawaw and the telecommunication law and sciences. and that is to understand radiofrequency and to develop technologies for spectrum efficiency. what role does it explain the federal government? >> it's from the very important role as well as the coordinates that doesn't

affect the federal agency and then entered into this grievances so there is a variety of ways to be in the management ecosystem. >> and it is critical to success how can you better leverage ats to promote to continue to compete with china. >> am so glad you asked the question. one of thees important component into this agreements and then being able to that act that is

proposed and then to bolster the idea. >> thank you. i appreciate that. >> earlier this year the senate passed the state connection act to ensure survivors can separate from phone plan with an abuser it is important legislation to bring survivors one step closer that however is also important we get thehe details right for survivors and wireless carriers have this process. and then too the shared aspect with is a shared phone contract? >> set the obstacle lives many that focusing on a couple but

for one thing it can be quite difficult to even detect this level of surveillance that goes on and they are frankly unaware of it that trying to protect themselves can be a challenge. and then in many cases is the visa themselves and there are considerable fees and upfront cost to separate into the line i would be happy to mention other obstacles but those are of a particular concern when they tried to gather these plans. >> thank you do you think a remote option could be the answer quick. >> and i'm pleased we act does

has such a protection given the fact so many survivors may have real concern going into a physical store where people working in november that person a concern so that is crucial. >> i yield back. >> . >> thank you for holding this hearing and i think that community —- the committee staff for putting this together how does greater spectrum sharing between thesh federal and on and to tease the fact that affect the deployment of the 5g network quick. >> and as it becomes more and

more challenging to it then to buy additional spectrum that of course to provide clear spectrum and then to make those unnecessary investments. >> so do you think moving toward a more agile spectrum with that licensed and spectrum? >> with those systems in place to get to an environment.

knows how waiting forgu the agency approach. and they are hugely successful. and then topa be more than necessary to invest in the option. >> but that spectrum sharing framework outlined in the smart act includes a system with that spectrum sharing. so what degree would be required to ensure successful implementation in dc a role for artificial intelligence and machine learning and distribution of spectrum? >> that and to mention it

should lead to a point where machine -based learning has a method to implement the mechanisms. >> in your written testimony with the capability as a mechanism with interference more effectively between federal and nonfederal users specifically and the radio service could be expanded to other parts off the spectrum. >> and manages of the interference in reducing that capability. and then the nti a vision and then all spectrum to remain

and it could also be extended to federal title i sharing. that their vision is very broad. >> is it used in the process. >> i with artificial intelligence and machine learning for spectrum management. and full disclosure we were assessed and we have and losing bits and pieces of artificial intelligence to improve the fidelity thereby mitigating interference. >> so what implications with 5g in deployment of broadband? >> when to the extent of any

employment a shared spectrum it doesn't matter which is being managed. it can handle licensed, options or unlicensed. for example it is coordinating much like 6 megahertz and the equity system in the same thing could be applied. >> my time is expired i yield back. >> the chairman recognizes to ask questions. >> you i appreciate that very

much so the question for ms. gomez. thank you for your support spectrum is a scarce resource and i believe to do every spectrum user is as efficient as a possible including the federal government. i am working with federal agencies to make more spectrum available for commercial users? >> thank you congressman. and cheryl has some benefits and then. >> that to be technically challenging then for the

opportunities in the areas for the federal agency couldde be operating. >> . >> and those for the federal spectrum users to show the real-time information. with that national defense. and then agencies are the department of defense and others can accomplish their core missions of how does this balance that quick. >> . >> and those other agencies to fulfill the missions from the

spectrum with the need to support innovation within the economy. and then those to access spectrumto and then continue to utilize them. >> thank you. i went toit reiterate my continued support to make spectrum available to license commercial use. can you talk about the role to find ways toto incentivize federal agencies with spectrum to make it available and does this bill strike the right balance between prioritizing optionsha and to share where they are feasible? >> this is something i feel

passionate about. and then to make sure they make efficiencies. but then to identify at spectrum use and for other uses. but then for selling the on —- the mission. more than the economy. and then they could provide additional. >> that itha is helpful but then withng the attention to help provide. >> i yield back.

>> the chair recognizes for five minutes ask questions. spent thank you for holding this meeting today hearings like this we are working together to solve a problem where we are more focused on finding a solution and partisan bickering and i appreciate the bipartisan emphasis on this meeting. went to voice my support for the state connection actod is introduced by my friend which would take necessary steps to protect victims of domestic abuse and other crimes thank you for your leadership on this and i'm glad to see this committee consider the bill to move through the house quickly

another bill we are considering today addresses the problem i see far too often in my district with the under resourced communities in general and to help struggling communities and working families and seniors that those they are supposed to help in another program exist or that they are eligible at all. and to do everything we can to get the help they need. what is the whole of government approach look like. >> thank you for the question i would say a whole government approach means that federal agencies across the board with the existing authorities with those resources to reach underservedte coordinate and then for programs like the

affordable connectivity programmer based on eligibility for other federal assistance programs. far too often they are working independently to administer the respective assistance riprograms. and across those agencies and with those outreach efforts. >> i was in the field yesterday in my district of three different communities and each onea brought up the lack of knowledge and with that whole of government e approach somewhere along the line were missing the opportunity to get the information out there. my staff does a consistent job. it doesn't matter where is satterwhite agency, we have to find a way to allow our citizens for what is going on

out there so beyond this bill are there other approaches congress should consider for access programs like lifeline and the conductivity program? so if they are being administered by the bureau of indian affairs qualifying households for acp should consider congress consider dh provide information to eligible households? or should other agencies be working together with the whole ofrm government approach to get the information out to people? >> thank you for the question. i do know tribal communities are disproportionatelyy disconnected and dealing with access issues as welll as affordability issues. with a lifeline program that is recognized and why communities receive those enhancement for broadband services and can only be

effective but i am exploring all options for agencies to work together and that between the sec can increase enrollment. >> and also glad to consider the bills to the nti a. with the necessary tools it is a public resource that belongs to all of us any approach to spectrum policy must reflect that reality. so what actions can and should the fcc take to ensure that spectrumfi brain as used as efficiently as possible? >> thank you for your

question. because i trying to evolve what they are doing. it's a higher level and so the more knowledge the more creative they can come up with. >> thank you very much madame chair and i yield. >> thank you madame chair. many colleagues talk about the spectrum option for an additional 18 months but what

has brought to increase technological innovation with the consumer choice if this legislation is not signed into law and the ftc auction authorities are restricted and what does that have and for international competitors and then to lead the future of technology. >> . >> i do think it has a significant effect on our international standing. and with the old-fashioned way of life. and those who are advanced to provide services.

and has been sometime since i brought up a national disaster and then being the beginning of the hurricane season the time is right to remind people of the dangers and then we need to save lives. and tis codification act is the emergency communication technology initiative. and then to trap individuals when the communication lines are down and saving lives when seconds count. i can congress continue with ats leadership. >> and with that communication

signal to prioritize. and that necessary revolution. for that response and then it's critically important for us to be prepared to meet the changing environment to the communication systems. but then continuing to find ways and the funding would be terrific. >> as a follow-up and then to have developing technologies to more efficiently use spectrum resources? and then to make sure that in

my opinion they are the best at what they do with industry and the federal government and what we can do an industry is, with ideas and then i ats can build that c into whatever. they can build tools and that's of their doing now they belted tour tool to support spectrum sharing and allowing them to allow a collaboration to bring about what we are looking for. >> i yield back the balance of my time. >> . >> and those that were

recognized for five minutes. >> that is integral to our daily lives is the internet. from education to e-commerce and telehealth or smart agriculture and those from central for litter floridians and then to put our money where our mouth was in with a high-speed internet for world broadband as well as right now and with the access to internet. >> and it makes sense. and that is available to the private sector balanced against the concerns and this will help us and as spectrum

sharing framework, seeing more specific so requiring separate lines. can you imagine and i have heard horror stories of victims and how that comfort folks into danger. so this is key in emergency

response. and if there is interagency hangups and barriers and conflicts so what happens on the day today? >> thank you for the question. i think that coordination is quite good and then when we are and then founding ways to free up spectrum. but then the engineering that is necessary of how we can utilize spectrum.

>> . >> that i think certainly eight then to have that capability and then to recognize the federal spectrum and for purposes of sharing they have nti a fulfilled mission and work with the ftc to share spectrum. >> so has more work to do. and human trafficking victims cannot even separated shared line from their attackers. and then as they provide protection and nothing to help

victims of domestic violence. and then requiring a court order. it will help to my thirties states or will we get able to fast-track this going forward. >> thank you for the question. and there are no existing y protections. apparently it would not require the board and trying to seek a court order. and then to provide sudden documentation to get them mind separation so they don't have to go to court. that would be a big change even so with those limited protections that i would point out unlike any other legal reports to make a big difference. >> and i am proud that we are

empowering victims and i yield backge. >> the chair recognizes mr. long for five minutes to ask questions. >> so there is a long history before i went to congress 12 years ago and then to help create wireless services and congress can take credit with one exception every time they extend the option authority on —- auction authority and then to get congress the time we need in which to auction. and with the short term

extension was 7783. >> and those reasons that we articulate. >> also sticking with ems we had no information and nti a. and then to be responsible for federal views before the sec and sec actions can affect the user spectrum and to become public attention howard the standardize framework and then to represent federal views? >> and then to prove with the

federal spectrum. >> and why is it important that it has that spectrum manager of all federal r agencies. and then their own spectrum use?s >> is a very important issue. they must retain their role as the manager across all federal agencies. and then that manages the spectrum too federal agencies for the commercial user with the inherent conflict of interest. rather because the sec is a federal user.

but then to manage that spectrum is not alongns that vision. and then to ensure federal agencies that duty of working with the sec with the new enhance us economy. the ncaa must remain the regulators and then to make the difficult decisions. >> i told you i will fast talker but i yield back. >> the chair recognizes for five minutes to ask questions. >> so continuing on with the representatives questions. and with that manager the spectrum the way we can make

that management more efficient i would like to go back and then to be inefficiently used and then to come up with ways and then to gave examples and then only for repurpose thing. >> and there is actually an interestingly and then the sec licensing process has to be more exclusive. and with those efficiencies

and for those utilizing different stands. and for example and then the sensors and those that have similar tasks that they need alliesli and then in ways that can be consolidated. so that is one example. that could be addressed. >> are we addressing them or how dodo we? to make sure and then to manage most efficiently. >> yes constantly studying ways to make it more efficient

and with the spectrum managementch would be really helpful to increase transparencys. and five federal agencies to find ways to repurpose butep they have. >> thank you so much it's very helpful. id would like to turn to the doctor for a second with hr 4275 is important to help congress and why they end up enrolling more often were don't enroll in lifeline. not just individuals but lessons for every agency and program that qualifies for the

lifeline. so 10 percent our veterans even.zero eight participants, one out of every thousand qualify for the program to the veteran ten on —- pension or survivor pension. and then to improve coordination and outreach so that more qualifying veterans take full of vantage of the program quick. >> thank you for the s question. as a daughter of two veterans and assembling of the veteran i'm glad you raised the because it's often often talking about the digital divide and make so many sacrifices for our country and dealing with multiple levels ofof marginalization like black

veterans one third experiencing, students are black veterans and we need a full government approach to have households enrolled in thee lifeline program and to make sure that if someone signs up for a program at the v.a. or usdael they are immediatelyy notified of all other programs they are eligible for including lifeline and the affordable connectivity program. >> thank you for this hearing today. i yield back. >> mr. walberg can you hear us? we cannot hear you.

>> can you hear me now? sorry about that. sometimes technology doesn't work in the tech committee. thank you to the witnesses for being here today these are extremely important bills for consumers and businesses but first went to highlight the safe connections act as early republicans legislation is know we should ever have to make a choice between staying connected and stay safe. and then allow the survivors

of domestic violence to separate phone lines from any cell phone plan shared with abusers. without having to worry about financial penalties or furequirements. and then further ways to support and protect survivors after they a disconnect shared plans can be used by abusers to continue stalking and that should not be another impediment and to have that legislation and working closely with domestic violence over the agreement and here in the house can do the same. your testimony outlines the patchwork of state law thatt currently exist to address the shared mobile service

contracts. and then to strength and the digital freedom easier for survivors and also what gaps remain? >> and those a solid foundation and that is a good base to make, it easier and cheaper and then to get out the plans and then it also empowers the sec to engage in why is rulemaking. so for example the provision in the bill that would have the ftc look into removing or concealing communications of domestic violence hotline from the phone bills would be of

crucial importance and they and then to expand access to the lifeline plan that it is so essential to look at the divide so i commend those aspects of the bill. >> the legislation task sec commission with the lifeline program our federal connectivity program is best suited to provide an which have these programs do you recommend for this purpose? >> as then view either way. and those within the ftc to engage with those programs and then go before the sun

committee have a better understanding and those that are really important to figure out and it makes no sense but providing that kind of support. >> all my questions about 773. and with that spectrum auction and leadership fact it will ensure that we haven't and interrupted but one —- spectrum pipeline and it is key to the united states in the 5g deployment and beyond. and then it needs to be done in carried out in extended strong t support. i yield back.

>> i appreciate what we're having here today. those who have a huge hazard and with civilian. so if you could speak to the issues about the interference and with that spectrum availability of auctions but if atal all possible and then to have discussions in this committee interference for quite some time and how we allocated at this point in time? >> there is a lot of areas.

and then not qualified to comment other than knowing t the issue and with the key engineers from the faa and wireless carriers and they are doing their best to mitigate that. and then there arehe some interests 3450 megahertz and at least from what we know and then information is coming to us. it is piecemeal. interference issues in that band. then there is generally potential interference issues with aviation in general, like a potential for interference with navigation commissions. we are familiar with the issue that occurred years ago with potential interference with gps. a lot of that is being dealt with now in the context of

studies that are being taken care of in the ntia and fcc. and for the most part the only major issue we are still facing right now with that is the one going on in the sea band and as far as i can tell that is on the path to being resolved in time. >> related question is, is there a timeframe within which -- it seems if we are doing all these spectrum options it would be extremely important to have this issue resolved, at least for the near term, until we learn differently based on the best knowledge at hand about what interference potential there is. federal and nonfederal agencies as well as military and civilian aviation seems like they ought to have this figured out before we go too far down the lawn going forward. realizing that our best efforts and knowledge at this point i change it but at least have a standard protocol that everyone

should count on. >> that is an excellent point. with respect to the cheap band, that effort is ongoing. what i can tell you going on is as you well know by the legislation the band will be auctioned before it no earlier than november of 2024. i was in a daylong meeting yesterday trying to better understand how the inequities that are owned by the dod net band can better share with commercial operations. our goal in network piece to establish a understanding of use cases both from federal mostly dod and commercial use and then try to have solutions for sharing print we understand the primary goal is to not have interference, especially with some dod systems being dealt with, but also with commercial systems. >> it is important for our committee to have a hearing on this bring in the fcc and ntia

and have a discussion about time frames and working with civilian and other federal agencies to come up with a game plan. otherwise we may be ending up still studying things as these options transpire. last question, and it was hinted at before. why extend the authority for only a short period of time? i understand the answer is we don't have options coming up. but why are we not just extending the authority for the fcc to do these options indefinitely? they will take time, a great deal of work goes into studying the effects, who is interested, who is not, what potential problems might be. so at this point where we not just giving this authority to the fcc so we don't have so many months put it at danger? >> there was a good point about that earlier mostly related to

the fact we don't have any options keyed up in the near future. certainly beyond the horizon for the 18 months. i would also note the commission is down a commissioner and some folks in key bureaus are acting. 18 months seems to be an appropriate timeframe, all things considered. >> very good. i yield back. >> thank you. the gentleman has yielded back. the chair now recognizes mr. carter for five minutes to ask questions. >> thank you. and i think all the witnesses for being here. very important hearing. very important. as you know, i have introduced resolution 4990, which is simply to codify the institute for telecommunications services. also directed the assistant secretary of commerce to establish an initiative that

will support the development of communications and track new technologies. the main emphasis of it is really for the institute for telecommunication sciences. as you know, it is ntia's lab and it's important for test and research to solve the challenges that we have of the technical issues. can you please speak to the importance of ips and how this bill will strengthen it in the lab's important work? >> yes. thank you for that question. ntia has a very technical mission between sector management, supporting technical and transitioning for commercial uses. i conduct a story -- study for

sharing. about how to manage spectrum more efficiently and how to avoid interference. this includes conducting studies for sec that affects federal users. the work is very important in supporting existing spectrum users and ensuring there is no interference but finding innovative ways to use spectrum and enabling decision-making that allows that. >> great. i would ask you the same thing. what role do you think idf will be in improving the interagency spectrum coordination mission? >>. they are the engineering basis

for these discussions. they are the ones that provide the proof of how things are going to work. so it is very important for these discussions so we do not just rely on generalized discussions. we actually have a conversation about how to utilize spectrum. >> let me ask you this. it is obviously critical to ensure the fcc has the option for spectrum. you note in your testimony there is a need for better spectrum coordination. based on your experiences at ntia i am curious, what we need to do to ensure the long-standing interagency spectrum process works? >> thank you for that question. i think the most important thing we need to be doing is recognizing ntia's statutory role as a manager of federal spectrum.

federal agencies are not happy with the decision made then utilize outside the coordination process to continue to litigate some of the issues. that is just not healthy to have a strong sector of management process. bolstering ntia's decision is important. the white house needs to strongly support ntia and reinforce its role as a federal spectrum manager. if i can also put in a plug. if congress would see fit to elevate the assistant secretary it would greatly help with his or her position in the future in negotiations with high level representatives from other agencies. >> why would it help to be

elevated? >> it is amazing how protocols sometime falling to play with these types of negotiations. if you have an assistant secretary sitting in a room there are times when perhaps the staff may be unwilling to allow that kind of negotiation to happen. that has happened in the past. they have sat down with the deputy secretary of defense to talk about repurposed thing spectrum and management of spectrum generally. it is a protocol issue but it definitely helps. >> ok. thank you and i yield back. >> thank you very much. the chair recognizes for five

minutes to ask questions. >> thank you. we know more than ever that broadband must be more accessible for all americans to succeed. about 30 -- this is about 12% of our total u.s. population. we also know too many eligible people do not know this program exists. snap recipients automatically qualify for the lifeline program offers discounted phone and internet service. more than 33 million households are eligible to receive halftime support yet only one in four of those households in the united states actually takes advantage of it. this question, how does the fcc's lifetime program among

federal programs health close the digital leviathan what can the federal government to include -- improve access to low-cost broadband service and help increase dissipation rates and public awareness in all communities including underserved communities and rural america? >> affordability is often cited as the biggest barrier preventing communities from adopting broadband. the lifeline program is the strongest tool we have to hope bridge the affordability gap by lowering the cost of monthly broadband services for millions of households as you stated. both of these programs are very under subscribed. i think public-private partnerships are really important. as we saw a few weeks ago at the white house the recent event where they announced commitments that increased dramatically awareness around that program.

we also have to make sure that we are prioritizing the funding of trusted organizations that are working on the ground to reach communities where they are. >> thank you. and thank you for earlier reminding us how important it is we try and reach out and support our veterans because of the disproportionality of veterans not connecting to the internet and disproportionality of veterans who are homeless. the lifeline program has helped millions connect to vital tools. the bill introduced by my colleagues ensuring phone and internet access for snap recipients as a 2021 would help lower the cost of phone and internet access for families that benefit from the snap program. i commend my colleagues are working on this issue and i look forward to working with them to ensure all american emily's have the vital resources they deserve to have access to.

when it comes to wi-fi, i am glad today's legislative hearing includes a discussion of hr 7783. introduced by my fellow colleague. congress must act now to ensure they have a continuing supply of spectrum they need to keep the united states at the forefront of global 5g investment and innovation. never has the value of wi-fi been more apparent than during the covid-19 pandemic. even though spectrum options raised funds directly from the u.s. treasury how can congress better account for the vast economic and societal benefits offered by unlicensed spectrum when identifying spectrum bands for commercial use? >> thank you so much for that

question. it is a very good question. i would refer you to the letter the chairwoman wrote to the leaders of the commerce committee in the senate and house. she talks about how to value unlicensed spectrum which is used for wi-fi. in order to demonstrate or take into account the tremendous economic value that unlicensed has given to our economy as it conducts spectrum bills it only does so often for spectrum but the balancing effect is tremendous for the economy. looking at ways to do that would be very helpful. >> thank you very much. and once again we have some incredibly talented commissioners and the chairwoman i have known for many years and

has been working really hard on this issue and trying to be as innovative as possible and incredibly accessible to constituents like mine across the country. with that, i will yield back. >> the gentleman yields back. the chair now recognizes ms. kelly for five minutes to ask questions. >> thank you. you mentioned in your testimony how corporate or grams meant to help abused victims are often so poorly advertised that victims are highly unlikely to even know they exist. other times the process of leaving a family plan can be a complex burden and risky. beyond what is required in the safe connection act are there other things wireless service providers can do to help make it easier for victors -- victims to leave a family plan? >> thank you for the question. certainly there are.

one thing that springs to mind is providers could allow survivors to leave family plans based solely on a survivor's own sworn attestation of abuse. although the safe communications -- safe connections act requires documentation there is no reason why companies cannot allow people to leave family plans based on their own affidavit. i think that is one thing they could do. they could also certainly do more to warn account holders about the potential risks from family phone plans. i think an earlier version of this bill had a provision that required adults of 18 years or older to opt into any of these monitoring features on a family plan such as location information that could be shared. although that is no longer in the bill i see no reason why phone companies could not do that and why they should not do that. i firmly believe they should. those are just a couple ideas of what they could do of their own

volition. >> thank you. as many of my colleagues are aware, representation at big tech for women and minorities is abysmal. there is only one woman to every 3.76 men employed at the big tech companies. amazon, apple, facebook, google and microsoft racial diversity is also a concern with 77.1% of startup founders being white and only 1.8% black. those numbers do not load well for creating teams equipped to empathize with victims of digital abuse who are overwhelmingly women, racial minorities and sexual minorities. can you discuss how lack of representation in the tech industry can further harm survivors and what steps companies can take to do more to protect women, racial minorities and sexual minorities? >> that is an excellent question

and a really important issue. not only must these companies engage actively with questions of diversity in hiring, as of the other experts earlier mentioned -- [no audio] -- actually listening to survivor stories and experiences and stop treating them as rare or unusual is crucial. even a language that gets used in the tech industry of these situations being treated as edge cases is really problematic. they are not edge cases. they should be seen as stress cases.

she's talked about this. even that kind of terminology is important. >> thank you. the lifeline program is very underutilized with a rate that hovers around 19% or 6.5 million households, despite estimates that more than 34 million households are eligible. can you discuss the disproportional effect this has on low income individuals, women, and people of color, and how we can work to reach those who would benefit most from the program? >> yes. thank you so much for the question. when we are talking about folks who are connected we are talking about our most vulnerable population which includes domestic violence survivors, people experiencing homelessness, people of color in lower wage jobs. the lack of connectivity impacts one's ability to have access to health care, have access to

government services that are online, and even impacting one's ability to state connected to family and friends. it cannot be underscored enough this is also about the economic opportunity gap. we are leaving these groups behind with innotech ecosystem and when we are not connecting them to broadband and all the opportunities associated with broadband. we have to be able to lean on groups that have connections in the communities, fund these groups, and also meet more outreach efforts on the federal level. >> thank you so very >> i yield back. thank you. >> the chair now recognizes, for five minutes to ask questions. >> thank you. i am grateful we are holding this hearing and the witnesses being here today. today's hearing reflects the bipartisan work that the committee has been able to

accomplish to help connect millions in urban and rural america, to maintain a robust telecommunications ever structure -- infrastructure. especially in areas like you're in the dells fort worth area, never parlay country. dr. valentine, first of all congratulations on your recent transitions the national urban league. my first question deals with hr 4275. ensuring phone and internet access for staff persistent -- snap recipients. it requires the fcc to submit reports on enrollment in the lifeline program by those participating in snap. according to the usac in texas there are approximately 2.7 million lifeline eligible households.

yet only 200 the thousand are subscribed, a 10% -- 280 thousand are subscribed, a 10% participation in the program. that is much lower than the national rate of precipitation is around 90% or so. -- 19% or so. is that should also be extended beyond lifeline to include the acp, the long-term version of the emergency broadband program we introduced at the beginning of the pandemic. can you extend -- talk about the benefits of extending this bill to go beyond the lifeline program and include a report on the enrollment on the affordable connectivity program by snap recipients? >> thank you so much for the question and take you for your leadership on the affordable connectivity program as well. to answer this question by

saying, we need both the lifeline program as well as the affordable connectivity program. when you are applying for benefits, you can only apply it to either local services or your wired line services. there are households across the country the need both. we need to understand the data from both of those programs. hopefully will also help us understand, for example, if it needs to increase and how we can better correlate the programs as well. >> dr. valentine you also talked in your opening statement about the support for -- to hire from underrepresented community beyond entry-level positions and increase diversity. many of these auction winners have also made commitments to incorporate racial equity initiatives into their businesses.

do you think these winners are delivering on the promises? >> i think we can always do better. honestly, this is something that the national urban league has been working on for years. the more we can integrate equity and inclusion into companies the better. it goes across the board from workers to the c suite, two at the community investments are of these companies. >> i know that sometimes come people will say was better for congress to stay on the sidelines and let the private sector work all of this out. or we need some help from congress, you think there is anything congress can do to incentivize oxen winters to hire, retain, -- auction winners to hire, retain, promote? >> anything in the space be welcome, need to make sure that all communities are benefiting

from this booming ecosystem. >> absolutely. with that, i yield back. thank you to the panelists. it was a very useful topic today. i yield back. >> the gentleman coming yield back. the chair now recognizes miss clark to ask questions for five minutes. >> thank you very much at madam chair for convening this important hearing and thank you you to our panelist of fury -- witnesses for your expert choate -- testimony. it is necessary for all eligible families to take advantage of the programs like the lifeline program. ensuring internet access for snap recipients requires the fcc to submit reports on the various advertising efforts of the

program. could you elaborate on how these reports can insist in increasing the utilization of the lifeline program among snap recipients? >> we really need to know where the gaps persist. i would say that something, as a relates to outreach efforts that we can lean on in the national urban league talked about in recent comments of the sec, the cdc had a program, partnering for vaccine equity grant program. that is a model that the sec can use. the national urban league with conjunction with our amazing affiliates, we were able to train 76 thousand trusted messengers. we were able to open to open non--- vaccination sites, and do about a thousand events and

reach 32 million people our efforts. if we are able to copy those efforts for the affordable connectivity program that would be amazing. in order to do those things we have to have ending to do so. >> got. -- got it. it is set to expire in september of this year, the auctions have been used to fund key initiatives like the first responder network authority. by the extending the sec network spectrum -- fcc network spectrum auction authority, would you opine a bit on other essential programs that could be funded through auction proceeds? >> thank you congresswoman. i did not advocate for any particular program. that all sounds terrific.

none in order of priority. gentlemen -- the chairwoman has assisted in utilizing spectrum auction proceeds to fund next-generation 911. i think a be a great use of this program. i have also heard that, support for funding for new equity programs. to continue our desire to get as much uptake as possible of broadband so everyone can benefit from the economy. i have also heard that perhaps he could be utilized to continue the rip and replace efforts to replace chinese men -- manufactured agreement with non-chinese, something more secure. these are things i've heard. >> thank you, i appreciated.

hr 7132 requires service providers to provide information for providers seeking to separate from a shared mobile service contract or a website in a visible location in other forms of consumer munication. in your -- communication. in your testimony you said school providers are offering voluntarily similar programs against digital abuse. would it be unlikely for a survivor to find this information on a providers website or a physical store if they are not a primary account holder? especially if the information is not primarily displayed. what would additional outreach efforts look like three just many survivors through this legislation? >> that is an excellent point

and part of the concern, it is possible for secondary account holders to engage with phone companies, either on person or online. what is driving the legislation is the monitoring that these plans enabled. having configured as information available, is not a panacea. i agree that many people or be in conditions where they frankly not be able to make use of some of the production -- protections of this bill unless it is supplemented with other assets. in terms of additional outreach etiquette is important to educate folks on the -- educate -- there are other great groups doing this, people do not know about the legal protections that exist that are designed to help them they simply will not use them. >> thank you, i yield back.

thank you. unmute yourself. >> thank you. the gentlelady goes back -- yield back. the chair recognizes him for five minutes. >> thank you. dr. ballantine, when the comments made during this is to establish the affordable connectivity program as part of the bipartisan info structure plan -- infrastructure plan. it allows households to access internet. how can we, help our constituents learn more about programs like this one? >> thank you so much for the question. the first piece of advice i

would give members of congress is to partner with the national urban league in our local affiliates to get the word out. also partner with small owned businesses, particularly those owned by people of color that are trusted in local communities, we cannot estimate -- underestimate the power of paid media, media organizations owned by people of color. i would also add to members of congress, to make sure you are allocating funds for outreach organizations that are known and trusted in the community. also lean on the resource that the federal communications commission's, is doing a great job with outreach and they have had hundreds of events at this point in time. they are always accepting speaker requests. >> i thank you for that answer. in your testimony, spectrum auctions can be used with

digital equity efforts. what could be funded in your judgment? >> when we thinking about digital equity and must be thought about modly and must include affordability -- thought about broadly and must include affordability. one idea that is out there is the use of the spectrum auction, will also need funds for devices, for the affordable connectivity program, a one-time discount on a device. what happens when the device breaks? what happens when it is outdated and it can no longer run new software? i can also say we can use these funds to help upscale and re-skill workers, particularly workers of colors for the digital economy. >> are like to turn to you, in your testimony, you left us with some interesting thoughts about

the family phone plans. and challenges to victims of abuse. i do not have a lot of time left. let me ask you this question. [indiscernible] they do not have control of their primary economic resources. >> this is a very important issue, as i said and my testimony, victims rely on munication technologies as a lifeline. that is why the program is called what it is. the abuse does not have a fixed expiration date, there is no neat line in the sand after the victim leaves in the violence suddenly ends. thinking about ways the programs can help support in a more enduring way.

it is a crucially important, especially now given our recruiting -- increasing alliance -- reliance on technology during the pandemic. >> thank you, can you summarize some of the challenging dangers to victims of abuse? >> absolute, if i may i might use the time to share a story from our work that are think is illustrative and brings the point home. we had one client that became concerned there partner was able to routinely find out where they were and who they were communicating with. they were on a family phone plan together, she tried to leave the plan by calling the phone company. the company told her that there was another account holder they needed to contact. without the -- without informing

the client they dialed the abuser into a three way conference line. not only did he read -- refuse, was deeply traumatic. even when they were informed of a fake law that would allow it, she declined to move forward because she was so scarred by the situation. this is what we should be trying to avoid through this bill. >> i thank you, i think you -- thank the witnesses and the madam chair. i'll back. -- i yield back. >> thank you so much. for having this hearing today, strengthening our communications network has been a very important and interesting hearing. i want to thank our witnesses for testifying before us today.

our colleagues and witnesses have noted today, digital technology are essential parts of our daily lives. at the same time, because these technologies are so connected to our lives, they can also be used as methods of surveillance and control for those in unsafe situations. like many of my colleagues i'm deeply concerned about what we have seen, especially recently about the use of technology to track individuals. even the ability for others to buy that data. that issue, some of the app tracking issues that we are talking about lately are not in this hearing. i do think they are connected to the larger issues of privacy and safety in the legislation that we are discussing today even in the state connections act. they are the sponsor of that bill, this is a really important

bill for supporting survivors of demetra -- domestic abuse. as the witnesses have mentioned, my colleagues have mentioned, that story you just shared really illustrates that in my home state of texas 40% of women and 35% of men experience intimate partner violence, rape, or stocking in a lifetime. this will help them disentangle their lives by allowing them to separate their lines and get off these family plans. i want to follow-up on some of these questions, in particular, you mentioned in your testimony that the national domestic violence hotline, a cell -- saw a 25% increase -- 155% increase in the past year.

is there any explanation or theory for why that is the case? do you anticipate that the rise in digital abuse will continue as digital technology becomes even more interwoven in our daily lives? >> thank you, absently. part of it is a story of how we are relying on technology more. it goes beyond that. it goes to your point earlier, is the type of technology that we are using, is massive and summary of the digital technologies prevalent these days prioritizes extracting as much data from us. this creates all sorts of risks as we see with family phone plans and other technologies used to perpetrate abuse these days. that is one part of the story. another is that the technology often allows people to perpetrate harm from afar with relative anonymity and secrecy

so proving who behind it could be difficult. the other thing is the trivialization of digital abuse is an important part of the story. it is less likely to be taken seriously. it is less likely people identified as abuse, less likely they will speak up. it can cut both ways, it might mean the statistics are low because people are underreporting. part of the rise could be fueled by people feeling like they can get away with it and gets more serious. i do not want to paint too pessimistic a picture. you asked if it will keep rising and in some ways i do. with the important caveat, that does not mean that kind of pragmatism or realism means we should give up. to the contrary we should be thinking creatively and empathetically to try and come up with ways to mitigate and address this kind of abuse. >> thank you so much, that is

incredibly helpful. i would love to ask he as a follow-up, maybe all of our witnesses to weigh in in writing following the hearing. what kind of other issues of privacy and safety that you have identified in your work that our committee and the congress should be looking at to ensure the safety and protection for users? we have some great bills in front of us today. this is one of many steps. as you mentioned there are a lot of things we should be looking at. i would love any of our witnesses could join us today would share those thoughts for the record and submit that testimony in writing. and have a few seconds left, thank you all for your time and work. thank you for convening the hearing and i yield back. >> the chair now recognizes mr. joyce for five minutes to ask

questions. >> thank you for allowing me to weigh in on the subcommittee hearing. thank you to all the witnesses for testifying. spectrum is vital for bridging the digital divide in my district as well as across the entirety of the nine states. last -- the united states. last week i introduced hr 7793 extending the spectrum auction leadership act by 2022. to extend the generous auction authority by 18 months, by extending the authority, it allows for more opportunity to help rural americans seek the connectivity that right now they so desperately need. as we've seen during this pandemic more and more people are working, learning, and healing from home. that requires additional broadband support.

congress must continue to show leadership on spectrum policy. i implore my colleagues for the swift passage of hr 7793. assuming auction authority is extended, what reforms can be named to the rules to promote international competitiveness, maximize efficiency, and foster the wealth of deployment of next generation technology? >> thank you very much for that question. i certainly agree with you that the spectrum auctions are important to ensure the rapid deployment of services in our areas including rural areas. in terms of either changes, read with tory changes that could be made -- revelatory changes that made. one is practical.

right now the fcc have fantastic engineers. it is a very difficult field to hire in. the private sector keeps stealing all the good engineers and give them much better benefits and much better salaries. one thing that could be done is to give authority to the fcc to actually hire at market rates similar to what they did back in 2000. it is just practical, it would help a lot to be able to have the engineering resources on staff to be able to quickly ask and conduct the engineering stories -- studies. continuing to support research and development both the sec -- fcc as well as to support

industry representation in the engineering standards body would also be important. >> thank you for the insight. mr. gibson, x suit -- assuming the auction authority is extended, what policy reforms would you recommend two promote competitiveness, maximization, and deployment? >> in addition to what she said, one thing i was just -- i would suggest a stronger collaboration between federal and commercial users. i mentioned, you may have missed this, a beauty segment with sharing issues with the megahertz band. what is happening as we are moving more towards collaboration, official lysing it -- official lysing it.

bettel -- better compensation for experts, also taking advantage of experts in commercial and collaboration. finding a collaboration framework that allows collaboration without conflict of interest. it might be threating than people -- threading the needle a little bit complexly. >> do you agree we in congress should make a priority to work on long-term spectrum pipeline bill? >> thank you for the question. if i may add to my prior answer, reforming the spectrum relocation funds for additional incentive. i do think is important for congress to work on a spectrum bill, a pipeline bill. >> thank you, i see my time is expiring, i yield back. >> the gentleman yields back.

the chair now recognizes ms. custer for her five minutes to ask questions. >> thank you metal chair and thank you for allowing me to -- madam chair and thank you for allowing me onto the subcommittee. many americans have benefited from technological advantages. many of us take advantage daily. we also know, 95% of domestic abuse cases involve technology and countless others have suffered or perpetrated abuse online. i am so grateful for your expertise and your experience. in your testimony you defined digital abuse as people exporting technology to harm others. specifically involving the use of technology to control, harass, dox, harass -- survey,

that threatens someone emotionally, physically, financially. can you describe how family friends that you describe at -- family plans that you describe as a snake in the grass can be tools such abuse? >> one source of common information, is just a phone bill or account records. it reveals details about communications and can also provide clues about their location such as the area codes they are calling. or call patterns there making. some family plans allow an abuser to listen to a victim's voicemails and sometimes even see their text messages. these kinds of surveillance, this level of surveillance in this type of surveillance creates this justified anxiety as much as anything else. i think that is what is at stake here. >> thank you for your good work and i am proud to have

introduced the safe connection act, a bipartisan bill with the house subcommittee chair presented of -- presented. it provides a clear template for survivors to work with their phone carriers to exit the plan they share with their abusers. can you explain how police say connection act will help you survivors? >> certainly. i think, although a victim could simply abandon their phone, theoretically, and maybe avoid some of the risks i have talked about during my testimony today, there are many reasons why that might actually do them more harm than good. phones are so often a lifeline amideven the ones associated currently with leaving a family -- family phone plan.

even if they have the funds to be able to leave, they can still encounter business from a phone company that has no legal obligation to honor line requests. the act would give them the right to leave safely and quickly and would be hugely important. >> thank you for that, and i think you may have addressed this question, but i will just ask it quickly, survivors of digital abuse of limited resources are often unaware that they may qualify for participation in several programs that provide a discount and phone and broadband services, such as a lifeline and affordable connectivity program. but the safe connection act requires the ftc to allow survivors facing financial hardships to enroll in one of these programs as quickly as possible, whether or not they otherwise meet the qualification for the program so they can receive a discount for a short amount of time while they are getting back -- while they are getting back on your fee.

why is it important to ensure that these abuse survivors are able to maintain communications services after they are allowed to separate from the shared account with their abuser? >> happy to reiterate on this point because it is so important, and it shows that people remaining deeply precarious positions long after they leave a relationship in one form of an -- or another. being connected through the phone is crucial in regaining their independence and in guarding against future abuse. again, this was always true, but it feels important to stress that these last two years are reliant on technology increasingly, in the way that many of our interactions have been filtered through technology more and more have increased this risk of digital abuse, but it means it's more important for us than ever to use our devices safely, whether it's social connections, work, ordering food, testifying before congress, all of these different

ways it just shows how important it is, so survivors should be entitled to do that safely. >> thank you, and thank you, dr. for your work. i asked the many members of the bipartisan task force to end violence and i'm pleased to see the safe connection zack to come forward today at this hearing. thank you, i yield back. >> the gentlelady yields back. at this time i request unanimous consent to enter the following documents into the record. the competitive carriers association in support of congressional efforts to extend the federal communications commission general spectrum authority. in public knowledge and open technology institute without objection so ordered. i would like to thank today's witnesses and the committee members for participating in this hearing today. it has been informative and educational in a sense that

everyone here has agreed upon the importance of these bills in a bipartisan manner. so i want to thank you all very much for participating. my members are pursuing to committee rules have 10 business days to submit additional questions for the record to be answered by the witnesses who have appeared. i asked the witnesses to respond to such questions that you may receive. at this

announcer: "washington journal" continues. host: joining us as matthew eby, founder and director of 1st street foundation to talk about a new report about wildfires. the headline is "tens of millions of u.s. properties face wildfire risks."