Washington, D.C. – July 16, 2008 – U.S. Representative Mike Doyle (PA-14) announced today that the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) will hold a field hearing in Pittsburgh on Monday, July 21, starting at 4:00 p.m. in the McConomy Auditorium at Carnegie Mellon University.

The Commission will hear from expert panelists about broadband Internet and the digital future. Congressman Doyle, who is Vice Chairman of the House Energy and Commerce Committee’s Subcommittee on Telecommunications and the Internet, will provide testimony, as will a number of Internet researchers, innovators, and entrepreneurs from Pittsburgh or with ties to Pittsburgh.

“I want thank Chairman Martin, the Commissioners and their staff for making the trip to Pittsburgh and holding this hearing on the future of broadband,” Congressman Doyle said in announcing the hearing. “Southwestern Pennsylvania has been a hotbed of innovation in computer and internet technology over the last 25 years, and I believe that the Commission will benefit greatly from the insights that our local experts will share with them.”

The hearing is open to the public. Seating will be available on a first-come, first-served basis, and members of the public will have an opportunity to provide their own comments and suggestions after the scheduled panelists have made their presentations. Public comments will be made part of the permanent hearing record.

Sign language interpreters and open captioning will be provided for this event. Other accommodations for people with disabilities may be requested by sending an e-mail to fcc504@fcc.gov or calling the Consumer & Governmental Affairs Bureau at 202-418-0530 (voice) or 202-418-0432 (tty).

“Broadband” refers to Internet service with high data transfer speeds that make features like streaming video possible. Broadband isn’t currently available to tens of millions of Americans, and the United States currently lags behind a number of other countries in the cost, availability, and quality of broadband access. Witnesses are expected to address issues like competition, “net neutrality,” new technology, and the “broadband divide” – the issues that are preventing or discouraging millions of Americans from purchasing high-speed Internet service.

For additional information about the hearing, please visit the FCC’s website at http://www.fcc.gov.