Doyle Eyes Early FCC Oversight Moves for House Communications; Thune Talks STELA
Outgoing Senate Commerce Committee Chairman John Thune, R-S.D., and House Communications Subcommittee ranking member Mike Doyle, D-Pa., haven't locked down the gavels of the Senate and House telecom subcommittees, but they outlined to reporters some potential policy priorities for the 116th Congress they would pursue. Thune, elected by Senate Republicans Wednesday as majority whip, is deciding whether he will pursue chairing the Communications Subcommittee or Surface Transportation Subcommittee next session (see 1811020048). Doyle, a likely lock for House Communications chairman under the incoming Democratic majority (see 1811070054), cited FCC oversight and net neutrality legislation as top priorities.
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Doyle said he's considering an aggressive FCC oversight agenda for House Communications and will meet with House Commerce Committee ranking member Frank Pallone, D-N.J., next week to delineate the subcommittee's overall game plan. Pallone is considered certain to take over the House Commerce gavel. “We’re getting ready to send a letter over to the FCC letting them know we intend to have a lot more oversight hearings and we want to start getting them on their schedule early,” Doyle said. The first oversight hearing could come as soon as January or “not too much later” because “we intend to have much more vigorous oversight” of the commission. House Communications' first FCC oversight hearing this Congress happened in July 2017 (see 1707250059). The agency didn't comment.
House Democrats “may be looking at other ideas” on net neutrality legislation now that Doyle's Congressional Review Act resolution aimed at reversing the FCC's 2017 rescission of 2015 net neutrality rules (House Joint Resolution-129) appears unlikely to pass the House in the lame-duck session (see 1809210048), he said. A discharge petition aimed at forcing a floor vote as of Wednesday had 177 of the needed 218 signers, the same number it's had since Rep. Mike Coffman, R-Colo., signed on in July (see 1807170048). The Senate passed the CRA in May 52-47 (see 1805160064).
The CRA “just doesn’t have the kind of the push it would need to get us over the top,” especially since House Republicans are going to be focused “on appropriations bills and the farm bill” during the dwindling number of legislative days they have left in the majority, Doyle said. The CRA's chances are likely "less than 50-50 at this point.” House Commerce Committee Chairman Greg Walden, R-Ore., emphasized his long-held interest in a net neutrality compromise bill. “I always thought we could legislate on net neutrality,” he said. “There were three or four things we had common ground on, but I think [congressional Democrats] wanted it more for an [election] issue, which frankly I don’t think mattered that much” in the final outcome.
Thune said he hasn't decided whether he prefers the chairmanship of Senate Communications or Surface Transportation, noting either would let him shape important Senate Commerce measures in the new Congress “that are of great interest to me.” Current Senate Communications Chairman Roger Wicker, R-Miss., is on track to be elevated to the full Senate Commerce chair (see 1811140053). Subcommittee ranking member Brian Schatz, D-Hawaii, confirmed to us he has no plans to leave that role next Congress.
Thune cited 2019 Satellite Television Extension and Localism Act reauthorization debate as a top area of Senate Communications interest. Thune didn't appear to take a side in the debate to renew STELA, in contrast to skepticism Walden voiced in September (see 1810230051). “I assume that's a discussion we'll have next year” that will include “everybody that has … a dog in that fight,” Thune said.
The Senate GOP elections that made Thune majority whip also retained Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., in that role. Senate Republicans elected Wyoming's John Barrasso as party's conference chairman, Missouri's Roy Blunt the chamber's GOP policy chairman and Iowa's Joni Ernst conference vice chairman. Senate Democrats voted to retain New York's Chuck Schumer as minority leader. House Republicans voted 159-43 to make California's Kevin McCarthy House minority leader over House Freedom Caucus member Jim Jordan of Ohio. House GOP members unanimously re-elected House Communications member Steve Scalise of Louisiana party whip and Wyoming's Liz Cheney the party's conference chairman.