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Communications Commission. Before coming to Washington, she had spent 11 years as a representative on the Public Service Commission in her native South Carolina. Among other things, the job involved regulating telecommunications firms in the state. That led some to wonder whether she would favor traditional telecommunications compa- nies when she was on the FCC.
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Others were not sure whether Clyburn, a University of South Carolina graduate who had run a tiny newspaper, had the requisite experience to serve on the FCC, which oversees Internet communications, allocation of the increasingly crowded airwaves, media ownership and broadcasting standards. Her confirmation came as the FCC was wresting with the momentous issue of Net neutrality, which prevents telecom- munications and cable companies from blocking or slowing any legal content or services on their Internet networks. The firms that provide the on- and off-ramps to the Internet wanted no part of it, warning that the Net neutrality rules would amount to the first regulation of the Internet, curb investment, dampen job creation, and possibly raise prices for users, po- tentially widening the digital divide. At the time, many people wondered where Clyburn would come down on the issue. Still others whispered that the appointment was a way of bolstering her political career and a favor to her father, Rep. James E. Clyburn, the third-ranking Democrat in the House of Representatives.
But since taking the post, Clyburn, 49, has quelled much of that speculation. She embraced Net neutrality, joining a 3-2 Democratic majority on the commission that endorsed the prin- ciple of an open Internet.
Clyburn called the rules a means to ensure equal access to “the most significant communications advancement in our lifetimes.” “Together we must ensure that people of color—and all Americans—can participate as owners, employees, and suppliers on-line,” she said. “That cannot happen, however, if we pas- sively permit a new set of gatekeepers to erect yet another set of barriers to entry.”
Overall, Clyburn has built a reputation as a strong voice for minority and rural communities when it comes to the fast-chang- ing communications landscape. US Black Engineer & Information Technology magazine recently caught up with her. The discussion follows here:
www.blackengineer.com
ignon L. Clyburn seemed to conjure more than the usual share of skepticism in August 2009 when she became the first African- American woman to serve on the Federal
by Michael A. Fletcher
mfletcher@ccgmag.com
FIRST AFRICAN-AMERICAN WOMAN ON FCC FOCUSES ON MOBILE ACCESSIBILITY
Mignon L. Clyburn Federal Communications Commissioner
USBE: What are your top priorities as an FCC commis- sioner?
Clyburn: One of the things I was happy about when I got to the FCC is that we are working on a broadband plan, which lays out certain principles that I embrace. No. 1: Universally available, affordable, accessible, broadband service to all Ameri- cans. That is at the epicenter of what I want to do. Broadband high-speed Internet is a means to address inequities. It can do it affordably if we put the right mechanisms in place. It can do it efficiently. It doesn’t matter where you live, work or play. This is at the core of future opportunities in this country.
USBE: You have talked passionately about the need for
keeping wireless access to the Internet affordable. How did the now-dead proposal to merge AT&T and T-Mobile fit into that view?
Clyburn: I have a policy of not speaking about a particular transaction. But I will do it in a broader sense. When someone comes to us with a proposal to merge, it does affect the entire marketplace. The number of players in the market affects the
USBE&IT I WINTER 2012 9
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