Minority News

WASHINGTON, D.C.--In a letter to U.S. Coast Guard Admiral Robert Papp, Jr., Chairman John D. (Jay) Rockefeller IV (D-W.V.) and U.S. Senators Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.) and Edward J. Markey (D-Mass.) called on the Coast Guard to detail how it plans to use inspection information to hold cruise ships with safety problems accountable. The senators also requested that such information be made available to the public over the Internet. The letter comes on the heels of the Coast Guard’s recent decision to conduct unannounced inspections of cruise ships that have exhibited a history of safety problems.

WASHINGTON, D.C.—Chairman John D. (Jay) Rockefeller IV today issued the following statement on the passing of Representative James Oberstar. “I am deeply saddened by the passing of my friend and former colleague, James Oberstar. Jim was a devoted public servant, who was a visionary and passionate about improving the lives of people in Minnesota and across the nation. For three decades, Jim was a tireless champion for investments that would lead to major improvements and advancements in our transportation system and infrastructure. Every major transportation bill that Jim worked on reflected his vision for the future, and because of his unrelenting courage and hard work, our nation’s skies, ports and roads are remarkably safer. Jim came to West Virginia to help us fight for the continuation of the Appalachian Regional Commission, which has funded so many of our roads and highways, including Corridor H, Corridor D and Corridor G. Beyond his incredible record of accomplishment, I admired Jim for his character and deep moral compass that always guided him. “Sharon and I send my condolences to Jim's wife, Jean, his four children and all of his grandchildren. Jim will be missed.” ###

WASHINGTON, D.C.-- Chairman John D. (Jay) Rockefeller IV today gave an opening statement at the U.S. Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation hearing titled, "Transportation Security Administration Oversight: Confronting America's Transportation Security Challenges." Below are his prepared remarks:

WASHINGTON, D.C.—Chairman John D. (Jay) Rockefeller IV today released the following statement after the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) and Department of Justice (DOJ) announced that cybersecurity information can be shared with competitors without violating antitrust law.

WASHINGTON, D.C.—Chairman John D. (Jay) Rockefeller (D-WV) and Senator Tom Udall (D-NM) today released the following statements after the U.S. Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation passed S. 1014, the Youth Sports Concussions Act. The legislation seeks to protect youth athletes from the dangers of concussions by curbing false advertising claims that sports equipment manufacturers make in order to sell protective gear for sports. Action on S. 1014 coincides with April’s Youth Sports Safety Month, a campaign by STOP Sports Injuries to make sure parents, coaches and athletes are educated on preventing sports injuries in kids. The Rockefeller-Udall bill now awaits action by the full Senate.

WASHINGTON, D.C.—Chairman John D. (Jay) Rockefeller IV today released the following statement after the Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration (PHMSA) reported that the crude oil industry has not kept its promise to share testing data with the agency. Last month, the American Petroleum Institute (API) pledged to Congress to share this data with the Department of Transportation as part of the agency's work to ensure the safe transportation of crude.

WASHINGTON, D.C. -- Chairman John D. (Jay) Rockefeller today issued prepared remarks for the U.S. Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation's Subcommittee on Communications, Technology, and the Internet hearing titled, "Reauthorization of the Satellite Television Extension and Localism Act (STELA)."

WASHINGTON, D.C.—Chairman John D. (Jay) Rockefeller IV today released the following statement on the Federal Communications Commission’s (FCC) action on media ownership. Rockefeller has called on the FCC to closely examine the use of Joint Sales Agreements (JSA) and Shared Services Agreements (SSA) by broadcasters and has asked the Government Accountability Office (GAO) to study how JSAs and SSAs impact competition and consumers.

WASHINGTON, D.C.-- Chairman John D. (Jay) Rockefeller IV today gave an opening statement at the U.S. Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation hearing titled, "Protecting Personal Consumer Information from Cyber Attacks and Data Breaches." Below are his prepared remarks:

WASHINGTON, D.C.—Chairman John D. (Jay) Rockefeller IV today released the following statement on the Justice Department’s $1.2 billion settlement with Toyota for misleading consumers about the sudden-acceleration defect in Toyota and Lexus vehicles:

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Chairman John D. (Jay) Rockefeller IV today expressed his concern about allowing websites to use names that end in “.sucks”, explaining that the only apparent purpose of these websites is to extract “defensive registration” payments from Internet users, and unfairly defame individuals, non-profit organizations, and businesses. In a letter to the Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN), the organization responsible for approving generic top level domains (gTLD) like “.com” or “.net”, Rockefeller wrote that approving the pending gTLD for “.sucks” will force businesses and non-profits to pay ongoing fees to third parties to avoid having their names associated with the new gTLD.

WASHINGTON, D.C.—Chairman John D. (Jay) Rockefeller IV today released the following statement on Federal Communications Commission (FCC) Chairman Tom Wheeler’s media ownership proposal. Rockefeller has called on the FCC to closely examine the use of Joint Sales Agreements (JSAs) and Shared Services Agreements (SSAs) by broadcasters and has asked the Government Accountability Office (GAO) to study how JSAs and SSAs impact competition and consumers.

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Chairman John D. (Jay) Rockefeller IV issued the following statement today announcing Senator Richard Blumenthal (D-CT) as chairman of the U.S. Senate Subcommittee on Surface Transportation, and Merchant Marine Infrastructure, Safety, and Security, and Senator Brian Schatz (D-HI) as chairman of the new U.S. Senate Subcommittee on Tourism, Competitiveness, and Innovation.

WASHINGTON, D.C. — The New York Times today published an editorial on providing consumers with stronger controls over their personal information collected online, which highlighted Chairman John D. (Jay) Rockefeller IV’s majority staff report that revealed the breadth and scope of the sensitive data – including financial, health, and other personal information – that is routinely amassed by data brokers on consumers without their knowledge or consent. Chairman Rockefeller recently introduced legislation that would prohibit data brokers from collecting or soliciting consumer information in deceptive ways, and would allow consumers to access and correct their information to help ensure maximum possible accuracy. The Committee also held a hearing on Dec. 18, 2013, to examine the privacy and accountability concerns with the data broker industry.

WASHINGTON, D.C.—Chairman John D. (Jay) Rockefeller IV today released the following statement on the proposed merger between Comcast Corp. and Time Warner Cable:

WASHINGTON, D.C.—Chairman John D. (Jay) Rockefeller IV (D-WV) and Senator Edward Markey (D-MA) today introduced legislation that would require data brokers to be accountable and transparent about the information they collect and sell about consumers. “Consumers deserve to know what information about their personal lives is being collected and sold to marketers by data brokers,” Rockefeller said. “This booming shadow industry, that generated more than $150 billion in 2012 and operates with very little scrutiny and oversight, is making tremendous profits off practices that can be disturbing and totally unfair to consumers. As I said during the Committee’s recent hearing on data brokers, I would be taking action to protect consumers and hold data brokers accountable. This legislation is a strong step in that direction. It will give consumers important protections like the ability to access files a data broker compiles of their personal information; the ability to correct inaccuracies in those files; and, importantly, choose whether they want to allow their personal information to be sold to other companies.”

WASHINGTON, D.C. — Chairman John D. (Jay) Rockefeller IV today reintroduced legislation to strengthen the criminal justice system, by prioritizing scientific research and supporting the development of science-based standards in the forensic disciplines. Rockefeller’s bill, The Forensic Science and Standards Act of 2014, aims to bolster forensic science reform efforts and to maintain long-term cooperation between scientists, the legal community, law enforcement, forensic practitioners, and advocacy groups.

WASHINGTON, D.C.--Chairman John D. (Jay) Rockefeller IV today lead the final roundtable at the Senate Commerce Committee summit titled, "Over-Connected and Behind the Wheel: A Summit on Technological Solutions to Distracted Driving." The daylong summit explored how technology can be used to minimize distracted driving, which has become a major public safety concern in recent years. The summit consisted of three roundtable discussions on the potential for technology to encourage the distractable driver to focus on driving. Rockefeller opened the final roundtable on current and potential technology that can limit distractions and focus the driver on the road.

WASHINGTON, D.C. — Chairman John D. (Jay) Rockefeller IV today issued the following statement after Federal Communications Commission (FCC) Chairman Tom Wheeler previewed his plans for modernizing the E-Rate program at an event celebrating National Digital Learning Day.

WASHINGTON, D.C. — Chairman John D. (Jay) Rockefeller IV today issued the following statement after President Obama announced that several private high tech companies have pledged to donate more than $750 million in devices, content, services and new teacher training tools to increase digital learning opportunities.

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Chairman John D. (Jay) Rockefeller IV today released the following statement on the Federal Communications Commission’s (FCC) action today to begin a process to better understand the impact on consumers of technology transitions.

WASHINGTON, D.C.— Senators John D. (Jay) Rockefeller IV (D-W.Va.), Chairman of the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation; Dianne Feinstein (D-Calif.), Chairman of the Senate Select Intelligence Committee; Mark Pryor (D-Ark.), Chairman of the Commerce Subcommittee on Communications, Technology, and the Internet; and Bill Nelson (D-Fla.), Chairman of the Commerce Subcommittee on Science and Space, today introduced legislation that would – for the first time – provide a federal standard for companies to safeguard consumers’ personal information throughout their systems and to quickly notify consumers if those systems are breached. The bill, similar to legislation introduced in the 111th and 112th Congresses, addresses security vulnerabilities that were exploited by criminals in the recent massive data breaches of major U.S. retailers. Those breaches left tens of millions of Americans vulnerable to identity theft and credit fraud.

WASHINGTON, D.C. — Chairman John D. (Jay) Rockefeller IV today issued letters to request information from 7 companies that offer consumers mortgage modification negotiation services to avoid foreclosure – and that have recently been the subject of a substantial number of consumer complaints.

WASHINGTON, D.C.--Chairman John D. (Jay) Rockefeller IV today gave opening remarks at the U.S. Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation hearing titled, "The Future of Unmanned Aviation in the U.S. Economy: Safety and Privacy Considerations." Below are his remarks as prepared for delivery: