Save Access

from: National Journal

House Democrats Eye Review Of Telecom Policies
by David Hatch

House Democrats are planning a thorough re-examination of telecommunications and media policies that will feature multiple oversight hearings and fresh legislation, industry and congressional sources said.

Fostering high-speed Internet deployment, ensuring an open and accessible Internet, and overhauling the federal universal service program that subsidizes telecom connections in rural and impoverished areas are among the key issues to be addressed. The competitiveness of the video, telephone and radio marketplaces also will be explored, along with protecting the privacy of phone records and promoting efficient use of spectrum.

Energy and Commerce Committee Chairman John Dingell, D-Mich., and Telecommunications and the Internet Subcommittee Chairman Edward Markey, D-Mass., have not decided whether to pursue sweeping legislation or targeted measures, sources said. Senate Commerce Committee Chairman Daniel Inouye, D-Hawaii, prefers the latter, a staffer previously said.

"The narrower and smaller the bites, then obviously their chances for success go up," an industry lobbyist said.

But that approach could prove challenging for enacting network neutrality regulations designed to restrict broadband providers from acting as Internet gatekeepers. Markey has not reintroduced a stand-alone neutrality measure.

"[There] won't be a stand-alone net neutrality bill, and that's a good thing because it won't pass," said Gigi Sohn, president of the watchdog Public Knowledge, which supports the concept.

Observers said net neutrality might be added to a broader bill or to various related measures, such as privacy or antitrust vehicles. They cautioned that given the controversy surrounding the issue, Democrats would move slowly.

A Feb. 15 FCC oversight hearing before the House telecom subcommittee was postponed so members could attend the funeral of Rep. Charlie Norwood, R-Ga., who passed away Tuesday. At press time, it had not been rescheduled.

House Democrats plan to scrutinize several FCC policies, include the agency's review of media-ownership limits and its authority to investigate allegations that the National Security Agency conducted surveillance of phone records without warrants.

Also to be examined is a recent FCC decision relaxing local video-franchising guidelines. State regulators have complained that the new rules usurp their authority. Replacing local franchises with less cumbersome national agreements was the centerpiece of Republican deregulatory legislation last year, but it stalled after its Senate counterpart became mired in controversy.

The telecom subcommittee also plans oversight hearings on the National Telecommunications and Information Administration, which is playing a central role in the transition to digital television, and the Corporation for Public Broadcasting, which the White House has targeted for budget cuts.

The Democrats' innovation agenda, released in November by now-House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., would be woven into upcoming telecom legislation, sources said, noting that Markey already has held discussions with Pelosi.

The agenda calls for universal, affordable broadband access within five years. The Bush administration has pledged to achieve that goal by the end of 2007, but critics say they are not on track. The agenda also aims to boost research and development funding, expand the high-tech workforce and make the R&D tax credit permanent.