Internet accessibility bills are moving forward in the House and Senate. The House Communications Subcommittee plans to vote Wednesday on a bipartisan bill (HR-3101) by Rep. Ed Markey, D-Mass., the Commerce Committee said Tuesday. Meanwhile, Senate Communications Committee Chairman John Kerry, D-Mass., expects to mark up his version of the bill (S-3304) “at the full committee level when we return from recess,” a Kerry spokeswoman said. In a briefing memo Tuesday, the House panel said, “An amendment in the nature of a substitute will be offered at Subcommittee markup to make changes to the bill based on ongoing discussions among staff and stakeholders about this legislation.” The amendment includes a few minor tweaks made after a hearing earlier this month (CD June 11 p1), industry officials said. The Coalition of Organizations for Accessible Technology (COAT) is “still reviewing the briefing memo to see what this has in it” but it “seems to include a lot of what we asked for,” said Jenifer Simpson, a senior director for the American Association of People with Disabilities. The House subcommittee markup will take place at 2 p.m. in Room 2123 of the Rayburn Building.
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.
Bills on spectrum reallocation are coming soon from Sens. John Kerry, D-Mass., and Olympia Snowe, R-Maine, and Rep. Ed Markey, D-Mass., they said after President Barack Obama committed to freeing up 500 MHz of spectrum over 10 years for wireless broadband. In a presidential memo Monday, Obama outlined a process to identify federal and commercial spectrum for reallocation, and use auction proceeds to support public safety. The effort will comprise administrative and legislative actions, and the White House plans to work with members of Congress, a senior administration official who refused to be named in stories told reporters on a conference call.
Tech and Internet companies breathed a sigh of relief after learning that financial industry revamp legislation agreed upon Friday by the House and Senate did away with provisions they didn’t like (CD May 24 p2). Several groups said they were especially glad the FTC’s authority would not be expanded. The bill now goes back to the House and Senate for final floor votes.
The FCC and other federal agencies will be among the few missing at Friday’s planned closed Hill meeting to discuss an update of the Telecom Act, a Senate aide told us Thursday. Representatives from ISPs, edge companies and public interest groups are among the 32 that so far have confirmed attendance, the aide said. The groups plan to meet behind closed doors at 11 a.m. in Room 2322 of the Rayburn House Office Building.
The FCC plans to complete a USF overhaul next year, said Commissioner Meredith Baker at a Senate Commerce Committee hearing Thursday. Baker and her two FCC colleagues on the Federal-State Joint Board on Universal Service -- Commissioners Mignon Clyburn and Michael Copps -- agreed USF was broken. But they disagreed whether they could revamp USF without first reclassifying broadband transport under Title II of the Communications Act.
The House passed calling card legislation in a 381-41 recorded vote late Wednesday. The bill, HR-3993, was approved under suspension of the rules, which prevented amendments and meant that a two-thirds majority was required for passage. Democrats and Republicans voted for the bill, but only Republicans objected. The bill would require disclosure of provider information, the card’s number of minutes or dollar value, per-minute rates, fees and charges, time period limits and expiration dates, and refund and recharge policies. It would also require the FTC to prosecute violations. “Just like the nutrition information on a box of cereal, consumers should be able to quickly and easily compare two [calling cards] side by side,” said the bill’s sponsor Rep. Eliot Engel, D-N.Y., on the House floor Wednesday. The legislation would herald the “end of hidden fees in the prepaid calling card market,” said Rep. Doris Matsui, D-Calif. Rep. Ed Whitfield, R-Ky., applauded close bipartisan work and said the bill would help consumers “without hampering unduly the industry.” The legislation now moves to the Senate, which has a similar bill (S-563) by Sen. Bill Nelson, D-Fla.
How universal service fits into Congress’ planned rewrite of the Telecom Act is expected to come up at a Senate Commerce Committee hearing Thursday on the Universal Service Fund, industry lobbyists said Monday. The Senate hearing opens a new avenue of Hill dialog on USF, an issue that lately has been mainly the domain of the House. House and Senate Commerce Committee staff meetings on the telecom law revamp start Friday (CD June 21 p8).
Congressional staff meetings on updating the Telecom Act starting this week will be closed to the public. “They will be invitation only and will not be open to the public or the press,” said a spokeswoman for Communications Subcommittee Chairman Rick Boucher, D-Va. Commerce Committee leaders from both parties said Friday they will kick off a series of “staff-led stakeholder sessions” on June 25. The committees said they plan to publicly release participant lists and submitted statements. Discussions will include staff for bipartisan leaders of the House and Senate’s Commerce Committee and Communications Subcommittee, and unspecified other interested parties. “A diverse group of stakeholders will be invited to participate in each session,” the committees said. “The list of participants will vary for each subject.” The first set of sessions “will address broadband regulation and FCC authority, with a focus on protecting consumers and promoting broadband investment,” the committees said. Later meetings will address spectrum policy and broadband deployment and adoption, they said. It’s not unusual for Hill staff briefings to be closed, and Congress isn’t subject to the same degree of transparency rules as the FCC, said Public Knowledge spokesman Art Brodsky. It would be more a problem if any members of Congress were involved at the meetings, he said. “Free Press believes that the meetings should be transparent and open to the public,” said Policy Counsel Aparna Sridhar. “The Communications Act has not been updated since 1996, and consumers could benefit from a wide array of reforms. The only way that the public can be a part of the conversation is if the conversation is open to the public.” “Free Press believes that the meetings should be transparent and open to the public,” said policy counsel Aparna Sridhar. “The Communications Act has not been updated since 1996, and consumers could benefit from a wide array of reforms. The only way that the public can be a part of the conversation is if the conversation is open to the public."
Two possible candidates to lead Republicans on the House Commerce Committee next year distanced themselves from Ranking Member Joe Barton, R-Texas, after Barton came under fire for remarks on the BP oil spill Thursday. Barton was “out of line,” said Rep. John Shimkus, R-Ill., one of three House Communications Subcommittee members thought to be eying the top Republican job on the Commerce Committee (CD May 27 p2). Another contender, Rep. Fred Upton of Michigan, said most Republicans were “on a different page” than Barton on BP putting aside $20 billion for oil spill damages, Roll Call reported Thursday. Barton needs to secure a waiver from the House Steering Committee to keep his post, due to a House GOP caucus rule limiting Republicans to three two-year terms at the top of committees, whether the party is in the majority or minority. Boehner and other House Republicans slammed Barton late Thursday after Barton apologized to BP for a White House “shakedown” of BP. Barton later apologized for the apology. “Congressman Barton’s statements this morning were wrong,” said Boehner, Minority Whip Eric Cantor, R-Va., and Rep. Mike Pence, R-Ind., in a joint statement. Communications Subcommittee Ranking Member Cliff Stearns, R-Fla., who has stated he wants the Commerce Committee job, didn’t comment.
Public safety resistance to a D-block auction only seemed to intensify after Democrats and Republicans endorsed the approach at a House Communications Subcommittee hearing Thursday. It’s unclear how a nationwide, interoperable public safety network would otherwise be funded, subcommittee members said. Legislators also backed bipartisan 911 legislation that includes language to stop states from misusing 911 funds.