A top state telecom official will join the House Commerce Committee staff, incoming Chairman Fred Upton, R-Mich., said Wednesday. Ray Baum, chairman of the Oregon Public Utilities Commission and the National Association of Regulatory Utility Commissioners Telecom Committee, will be senior policy adviser for the Communications Subcommittee under Rep. Greg Walden, R-Ore. Meanwhile, Neil Fried -- who was senior minority counsel under Ranking Member Joe Barton, R-Texas -- will stay on the committee as chief counsel of the Communications Subcommittee. As state chair of the Federal-State Joint Board on Universal Service, Baum had been active in efforts to revamp the Universal Service Fund. Rep. Lee Terry, R-Neb., the incoming vice chairman of the Communications Subcommittee, has said he will reintroduce USF legislation early in the session (CD Nov 23 p5). Baum is leaving NARUC and the Oregon PUC, a NARUC spokesman confirmed: “He will be greatly missed, but we wish him the best.”
Adam Bender
Adam Bender, Senior Editor, is the state and local telecommunications reporter for Communications Daily, where he also has covered Congress and the Federal Communications Commission. He has won awards for his Warren Communications News reporting from the Society of Professional Journalists, Specialized Information Publishers Association and the Society for Advancing Business Editing and Writing. Bender studied print journalism at American University and is the author of dystopian science-fiction novels. You can follow Bender at WatchAdam.blog and @WatchAdam on Twitter.
The benefit of consideration of a Congressional Review Act resolution to nullify the FCC’s net neutrality order may be to rally opposition and send a broader signal to the commission, said a former congressional committee counsel. Incoming House Commerce Committee Chairman Fred Upton, R-Mich., and Senate Commerce Committee Ranking Member Kay Bailey Hutchison, R-Texas, said last week they may attempt to rebuke the FCC by introducing resolutions of disapproval under the Act (CD Dec 22 p5). The procedure has advantages over other lines of attack, but the likelihood of a presidential veto makes it a difficult road, current and former Hill aides said in interviews.
A continuing resolution approved Tuesday by the Senate includes broadband oversight money sought by the NTIA. It also prevents a spike in Universal Service Fund contributions by extending an exemption of the USF from a Civil War-era law. The resolution keeps the government running until March 4. The drama over broadband funding and the last-minute, temporary nature of the fix raised concerns about whether the Broadband Technology Opportunities Program can work long term.
Hill Republicans bombarded the FCC with threats to reverse net neutrality rules approved Tuesday by the commission. Democrats said they were happy net neutrality is moving forward, but some said they wished for stronger protections.
Congress shushed loud TV commercials. In a voice vote Thursday night, the House passed the CALM Act (S-2847), which would require TV ads to be set at the same volume as regular programming. “It’s a simple fix to a huge nuisance,” said Rep. Anna Eshoo, D-Calif., who sponsored the original House bill (HR-1084). Associations for advertisers and broadcasters said they don’t believe the new requirement will be onerous.
Rep. Doris Matsui, D-Calif., hopes to bring certainty to industry next year on long-brewing telecom issues like net neutrality and Universal Service Fund reform, the House Communications Subcommittee member said in an interview last week. Providing subsidies to make broadband more affordable for low-income Americans and addressing fears about lack of privacy online are two important ways to motivate more people to embrace fast Internet service, she said.
Stand down on net neutrality, top Hill Republicans told FCC Chairman Julius Genachowski after he announced the commission would move forward with a rulemaking. (See separate report above.) While many lawmakers issued angry statements Wednesday, more concrete Hill action isn’t expected until January. Genachowski won guarded support for his proposal from some Democrats, including Rep. Ed Markey of Massachusetts and Sen. Mark Begich of Alaska.
Two Senate Commerce Committee members said they sympathize with public safety on what to do with the 700 MHz D-block. At an FCBA lunch Wednesday, Sen. Mike Johanns, R-Neb., said that as a former mayor he is “very, very sympathetic” to public safety and “will give them a lot of credibility.” Sen. Mark Begich, D-Alaska, another ex-mayor, said to expect significant “bipartisan” support for public safety. He said that public safety must have the “capacity to do their work.”
Rep. Bobby Rush, D-Ill., may face questions from net neutrality advocates as he seeks to lead Democrats next year on the House Communications Subcommittee. Rush opposed the FCC’s net neutrality effort but has the edge by seniority to become ranking member. ColorOfChange.org this month urged Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., to reject Rush’s bid because of his position on the issue (CD Nov 22 p11).
The House plans to vote next week on the CALM Act, which would require lowering the volume of TV commercials to that of regular programming. The House also plans to consider another continuing resolution to maintain funding for federal agencies until regular appropriations are approved, amid pleas from state regulators to provide additional funding to federal agencies charged with overseeing the broadband stimulus program under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act.