John Bryson pledged a “strong commitment” to broadband if he’s...
John Bryson pledged a “strong commitment” to broadband if he’s confirmed as Commerce Secretary. “I think it’s essential,” President Barack Obama’s nominee told the Senate Commerce Committee at a hearing Tuesday afternoon. “We need to get to the rural communities…
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and we need to get to the smallest communities. The reality is that broadband already has become a huge location of commerce and it will grow strikingly.” Bryson’s top priority is job creation, and he also hopes to be a “voice” in the Obama cabinet for eliminating burdensome regulations, he said. Bryson -- who has a business background with Edison International, Boeing and Disney -- said companies are “too often stifled by absolutely unnecessary cumbersome regulation and unnecessary regulatory costs and delays.” While the U.S. economy is recovering, it’s not creating jobs fast enough, he said. Ranking Member Kay Bailey Hutchison, R-Texas, said the Obama administration has issued an unprecedented amount of regulations, and she hopes Bryson will be a champion for cutting back overreach. Committee Democrats offered strong support for Bryson, but Republicans had questions about his views on energy and other non-telecom issues.