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from: National Journal

Frist Wants 60 Votes Before Bringing Telecom Bill To Floor

A Senate bill to overhaul the communications industry could fall victim to the limited legislative calendar and heightened political climate this fall. Senate Majority Leader Frist is considering whether to bring the legislation to the floor this fall, but first he has ordered Commerce Chairman Stevens to get 60 senators on record in support of the measure to overcome a potential filibuster. Even if Stevens succeeds, Frist is likely to weigh the political benefits against a potential policy fight before scheduling a vote. "The clock will be a major factor regardless of whether 60 votes can be found," a Frist aide said today. "[Frist] will take it one step at a time -- he thinks it's time for a major overhaul to the telecommunications laws in the age of the Internet and wireless, but the report needs to be written, Stevens and [Commerce ranking member Daniel] Inouye [D-Hawaii] need to try to get public commitments from 60 colleagues, and then he'll take a look at the calendar and decide if this giant policy and floor fight is appropriate for the 109th Congress, or for the 110th." Stevens said he would negotiate with senators and likely slice off parts of the bill to win votes. But he drew a line in the sand on video franchising changes and provisions to broaden the universal service fund, which provides phone service to rural and low-income areas.

Before the Commerce panel approved the measure 15-7 Wednesday, proponents narrowly defeated a so-called network neutrality amendment.
The provision, by Sens. Olympia Snowe, R-Maine, and Byron Dorgan, D-N.D., could become a major sticking point during debate. Sen. Ron Wyden, D-Ore., has already placed a procedural hold on the legislation because the stronger net neutrality language was excluded. Stevens included limited net neutrality in the legislation to stop the Bell telecommunications firms and cable operators from blocking Web sites based on political affiliation. But it would not keep them from charging fees to preferred businesses for speedier Internet delivery. The Snowe-Dorgan proposal would have prohibited Bell and cable companies from treating Internet traffic differently based on source, destination or ownership. -- by Greta Wodele