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from: Technology Daily

Senate Panel Rallying Industry In Support Of Telecom Measure

By David Hatch

(Wednesday, July 19) The leadership of the Senate Commerce Committee is quietly rallying industry troops to lobby hard for passage of massive telecommunications legislation adopted by the panel in late June after a marathon three-day markup.

Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist, R-Tenn., has made it clear that Commerce Chairman Ted Stevens, R-Alaska, needs to corral 60 votes -- the magic number needed to thwart a possible filibuster of the bill -- for the measure to move to the floor.

Top aides to Stevens met last week with representatives of the Bell companies, wireless industry and other stakeholders in an effort to harness their lobbying muscle, sources said. They said the committee will conduct ongoing meetings with these parties as it seeks to build greater lawmaker support for the measure.

One source described the message of last Monday's meeting as, "We need to reach out to all the members of the Senate." Industry and association representatives were told to report back to committee staffers regarding the level of interest that lawmakers have in the bill.

Stevens has said he does not expect his bill to reach the floor until September at the earliest, following Congress' annual August recess.

Stevens has lowered expectations for speedy passage by publicly acknowledging that his legislation faces opposition and may have to be slimmed down to attract more support.

But -- at least at this juncture -- he apparently wants to give the version approved by his committee a chance before narrowing its scope, observers said. A Senate Commerce spokesman did not have an immediate comment.

Among the scenarios being discussed for moving the bill are bringing it to the floor in its current state; adding it to another vehicle; passing a more streamlined version on the floor; or adding a narrower iteration to broader legislation.

While a comprehensive bill runs the risk of triggering opposition on a range of issues, a narrow version might alienate lawmakers who support provisions that end up getting chopped.

Despite the obstacles, an industry source said Stevens is determined to get a telecom bill passed this year.

"I would never doubt the prowess of Chairman Stevens," the source said, adding, "I think each step of the way Stevens has proven that he's getting [the legislation] done."

Even if Stevens secures the 60 votes he needs to bring his bill to the floor, it still faces challenges.

Sens. Olympia Snowe, R-Maine, and Byron Dorgan, D-N.D., who failed in committee to add tough network neutrality provisions barring communications giants from acting as Internet gatekeepers, will try again on the floor.

The lawmakers are emboldened by the razor-thin defeat of their amendment on an 11-11 tie in committee. But opponents think the proposal would stand less of a chance before the full Senate.

"They're going to need every single Democrat and a few Republicans," said one critic of the network neutrality plan, noting that Save The Internet -- a pro-neutrality group -- lists Democratic Sens. Joseph Biden of Delaware, Mark Dayton of Minnesota and Joseph Lieberman of Connecticut as "waffling."

And there are other hurdles for Stevens. Senators who are former governors -- such as Sen. George Voinovich, R-Ohio -- are worried about provisions that preempt state regulation of the wireless industry and make permanent the moratorium on Internet taxes. Broadcasters also have concerns about the bill.