[Congressional Record Volume 161, Number 37 (Wednesday, March 4, 2015)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E302]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                     COMMENDING LOCAL BROADCASTERS

                                 ______
                                 

                          HON. DORIS O. MATSUI

                             of california

                    in the house of representatives

                        Wednesday, March 4, 2015

  Ms. MATSUI. Mr. Speaker, every day, our nation's broadcasters serve 
communities across the country by providing the news and entertainment 
we rely on to get through our day. Whether it is an update on what is 
happening in the world, educational programming, or a review of the 
movies opening that weekend, most Americans turn to broadcasters for 
news on issues big and small.
  This is especially true for local broadcasters. These broadcasters 
provide the public with the news that is most important, and most 
useful for them, because it is the news from their own communities. 
This is true in Sacramento and across the nation. Our broadcasters play 
an integral role in Sacramentans day-to-day lives, informing all of us 
about everything from local traffic to an in-depth look at local 
political issues.
  Local broadcasters play a particularly important role in times of an 
emergency. In Sacramento, we continue to experience drought-like 
weather conditions, as well as heavy rains that bring with them the 
threat of flooding. Unfortunately, the entire state of California is 
susceptible to a number of natural disasters, including earthquakes, 
wildfires, and--of course--flooding. It is essential that residents 
have access to local emergency broadcasts, so that they have the public 
safety information they need when a disaster strikes.
  And the role of broadcasters goes beyond disseminating information to 
the public. They have also played an important part in growing and 
investing in our nation's airwaves. The spectrum sharing agreement that 
the broadcasters entered into with the Department of Defense helped 
solidify the Federal Communications Commission's recent record breaking 
spectrum auction of the AWS-3 band. This spectrum auction generated 
nearly $45 billion in revenue, enough to fully fund FirstNet, the 
nationwide interoperability network for America's first responders and 
public safety officials.
  Broadcasters play an important role in our country. I want to applaud 
the work of broadcasters, particularly those in Sacramento, for working 
diligently to cover and provide local news programming to our 
communities, and for being strong community partners.

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