PROFILES IN INNOVATION
One on One continued
market. People are cutting the cord at home, meaning they are increasingly relying on mobile devices. From my perspective, it is a challenge to me, and this agency, to ensure that these mobile devices are as robust and as affordable to individuals as they can be. That is especially important to African Americans and Hispanics, who disproportionately access the Internet using these devices.
USBE: How does Net neutrality affect affordability? Clyburn: The reason I was such a proponent for an open In- ternet is because I recognize the trend where more and more people have to make a choice: I can only afford one communications device. Which will I choose? The one that gives me the most bang for my buck. The one that’s most mobile. The one that gives me the most overall use. So to have this device be as robust as it can be, for it to be as accessible as it can be, as close as possible to a landline device, is important. To ensure that the device you use is able to connect to the full network is also important. For a provider to pick a winner or a loser is not right. If you have a business that might compete with an Internet service provider, it is important for you to know what speed to expect, and that you are able to connect. All of those things truly matter. And as far as prices go, transparency is the key. Transparency, transpar- ency, transparency, so you know what you are paying for. I think over time it won’t make mobile more expensive. Once the rules are set forth, the providers recalibrate and act accordingly. As long as we at the FCC encourage transparency and competition, there will be a downward pressure on prices.
USBE: There is now a mind-blowing array of wireless devices out there, everything from GPS devices to track your pet’s whereabouts to wireless devices that remind you to take your medication. How does this affect your work at the FCC? Clyburn: You are talking about innovation and investment, and all of these diverse uses create more demand for spectrum. As we all know, spectrum is the real estate that is needed for all of those devices to operate. So when you have these tools, all of these things put an exponential demand on the systems. That means there is heightened need for spectrum. This poses a set of challenges that we all need to address from the governmental side in terms of the need for more spectrum and from an innovation side to ensure that
10 USBE&IT I WINTER 2012
we are doing all we can to ensure we are being efficient and doing all we can to maximize this very important real estate.
USBE: Is the disproportionate use of wireless devices by
African Americans and Latinos closing the digital divide? Clyburn: I think it has been impacted in certain ways. If a disproportionate share of African Americans and Latinos use mobile devices to access the Internet, there is a slight closing of the gap, but there still remains a significant divide. As much as we have been looking at these mobile technologies and trying to make sure they are as robust as possible, there are still differ- ences between mobile and stationary devices. It is not apples to apples. There are still things from an efficiency standpoint where the legacy systems work better. If you are filling out a resume, it is not easy to do that on a small device.
“From my perspective, it is a challenge to me, and this agency, to ensure that these mobile devic- es are as robust and affordable to individuals as they can be.” — FCC Commissioner Mignon L. Clyburn
USBE: Many Ameri- cans think of the FCC in terms of broadcast regula- tion. Is that notion outdated given the multitude of televi- sion and radio outlets? Clyburn: My answer,
and I don’t hesitate to say this, is no. All of these technologies that we have grown dependent on, even with our teenagers consuming their entertainment differently, most Americans
still access their news and entertainment through traditional means such as television and radio. We still are reliant on that. While the six o’clock news has taken a hit, it remains important. There is a reason you still have those offerings: people are watching. From that standpoint, our interaction there remains important. Remem- ber, those broadcasters were gifted with that spectrum, they did not pay for the space on the broadcast spectrum that allows them to operate. So they have a public responsibility that from my perspec- tive will never expire.
USBE: Your background is in newspapers, so how did you end up on the FCC? Clyburn: I spent 14 years running, and being run by, a weekly newspaper. I had a mentor, the first African American on the Public Service Commission in South Carolina. We were talking one day, and she said, “You’re smart. You care about the communi- ty. Why don’t you think about offering yourself to be on the Public Service Commission?” She was about to leave. I thought, I don’t know much about utilities. Again, she said, you’re smart. You’re
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