Rep. Glusenkamp Perez Questions FCC Chair Carr on Cocomelon's Impact on Children and Rural Broadband

Concerns Over Children's Media Consumption

• 💡 Rep. Marie Glusenkamp Perez raised concerns about the impact of children's programming, specifically citing Cocomelon, on young children's development.
• 🎯 She highlighted that Cocomelon has a massive audience on YouTube (193 million followers), dwarfing even popular adult content creators.
• 🧠 Data suggests that excessive viewing of such programs can be devastating to a child's attention span and self-regulation, leading to difficulties in learning.
• ⚠️ Perez emphasized that this issue affects the national health and long-term independence of the country by impacting children's ability to learn and focus.

FCC's Role and Regulatory Authority

• 🎙️ FCC Chair Brendan Carr, a parent himself, acknowledged the seriousness of screen time issues and their effect on attention spans.
• 🚫 He noted that the FCC's direct regulatory authority over such content is limited, but suggested potential steps regarding connectivity and tablet funding for schools.
• 🤝 Carr indicated a willingness to support and work on child online safety measures being debated in Congress, particularly concerning apps.

Rural Broadband Deployment and Challenges

• 📡 Rep. Glusenkamp Perez also inquired about rural broadband access and how to effectively deploy funds to underserved communities.
• 🛠️ She asked about the FCC's efforts to simplify and make deployment processes accessible to smaller and local providers.
• 🚀 Chair Carr outlined strategies including streamlining permitting and licensing processes, especially at the local level and on federal lands.
• 📶 He also stressed the importance of freeing up more spectrum for technologies like fixed wireless, 5G, and 6G, which can introduce competition and lower prices.

Technology Neutrality and Internet Regulation

• 🌐 Carr advocated for a technology-neutral approach to broadband deployment, supporting not only fiber but also fixed wireless and low-earth orbit satellites to bridge the digital divide.
• ⚖️ Regarding the ownership and operation of public internet systems, he expressed caution about utility-style regulation, arguing that a light regulatory framework is needed to incentivize the massive, ongoing investments required for dynamic internet infrastructure.