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Tipton Gets FCC Chairman's Commitment to Work with Him on Four Corners TV AccessJul 19, 2012 (Congressional Documents and Publications/ContentWorks via COMTEX) -- WASHINGTON, DC - Today, during a Small Business Committee hearing, Rep. Scott Tipton received a pledge of support from Federal Communications Chairman Julius Genachowski to work with him to bring Colorado television to the Four Corners area. Currently, many residents in Montezuma and La Plata counties do not have access to Colorado television broadcasts. During the hearing entitled, The Digital Divide: Expanding Broadband Access to Small Businesses, Tipton asked Chairman Genachowski, "La Plata County and Montezuma County in my district are known as orphan counties and are part of the Albuquerque designated markets, which falls under the FCC. Because of their location and distance, they are not able to receive Colorado television. Do you think it's important for residents of the state to also receive weather, emergency and sports programs from the same state that they reside in, and if so, would you pledge to be able to work with me today to assist bringing these Colorado communities in their entirety into that spectrum?" Genachowski responded that, "In any disaster some [lines of communication] will go down, others will stay up, and so making sure that whether it's by TV, radio, the internet, or mobile that consumers are connected both for our economy and for public safety, it's vitally important, and I look forward to working forward to you on the issue you mentioned." Tipton has introduced The Four Corners Television Access Act of 2012 (H.R. 4469) which would make it easier for both cable and satellite carriers to offer Colorado programming in areas that meet certain Nielsen Media Research statistics, bringing Colorado programming to residents in the Four Corners region. The Congressional Budget Office has scored this legislation as having no additional cost to taxpayers. "Residents in Colorado's Four Corners counties have gone far too long without television broadcasts from their own state," Tipton said. "I am pleased to have received Chairman Genachowski's commitment today to work with me to bring Colorado television programming to all of Colorado's residents." More information on H.R. 4469 is available here http://tipton.house.gov/press-release/colorado-tv-coming-four-corners-area-if-tipton-has-his-way. Read this original document at: http://tipton.house.gov/press-release/tipton-gets-fcc-chairman%E2%80%99s-commitment-work-him-four-corners-tv-access |