Legislative Activity Senators Seek Probe of Cyber Attacks on FCC’s Website On May 31, Sens. Brian Schatz (D-HI), Al Franken (D-MN), Patrick Leahy (D-VT), Edward Markey (D-MA), and Ron Wyden (D-OR) wrote a letter to Andrew McCabe, Acting Director of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), asking agency to “prioritize” an investigation into cyber-attacks that … Continue Reading
Legislative Activity House Approves Email Privacy Act On February 6, the U.S. House of Representatives (House) passed H.R.387, the Email Privacy Act, by voice vote. The bill updates part of the Electronic Communications Privacy Act of 1986 (ECPA) by enhancing the privacy protections applicable to electronic communications such as emails, social media posts, and other … Continue Reading
Legislative Activity House Approves FY 2017 Appropriations Bill Decreasing FCC’s Budget On July 7, the U.S. House of Representatives (House) passed H.R.5485, the Financial Services and General Government Appropriations Bill, 2017 containing appropriations for fiscal year (FY) 2017. The $21.7 billion funding measure contains appropriations for various federal agencies for the fiscal year ending September … Continue Reading
Legislative Activity House Subcommittee to Examine Seven Communications Bills The Subcommittee on Communications and Technology (Communications Subcommittee) of the House Committee on Energy and Commerce (House Commerce Committee) will hold a legislative hearing on April 13 during which it will review seven communications-related bills. The following legislation will be considered during the hearing: H.R.2031, the … Continue Reading
Legislative Activity Sen. Thune Introduces FCC Reauthorization Act On March 7, Sen. John Thune (R-SD), Chairman of the Senate Commerce, Science & Transportation Committee (Senate Commerce Committee) introduced S.2644, the FCC Reauthorization Act of 2016. The bill would reauthorize the Federal Communications Commission (FCC), which has not been reauthorized since 1990, and would authorize appropriations … Continue Reading
Legislative Activity Sen. Thune Introduces Bill Regarding Spectrum Auction Deposits On November 19, Sen. John Thune (R-SD), Chairman of the Senate Commerce, Science and Transportation Committee (Senate Commerce Committee), introduced S.2319, a bill that reduces some of the administrative burden associated with the handling of auction deposits. Specifically, the bill would require spectrum auction deposits … Continue Reading
Legislative Activity Federal Spectrum Reallocation and More Auctions Included in Budget Bill Congress’ budget bill contains a number of important spectrum policy items, including a plan for reallocating and auctioning more federal wireless spectrum to commercial providers. Title X of the bill calls on the Secretary of Commerce and the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) to … Continue Reading
Legislative Activity Congressional Lawmakers File Amicus Brief in Net Neutrality Challenge On September 21, twenty-nine members of Congress, led by Sen. Edward Markey (D-MA) and Rep. Anna Eshoo (D-CA), filed an amicus, or “friend of the court,” brief in the pending challenge to the Federal Communications Commission’s (“FCC”) net neutrality rules in the U.S. Court … Continue Reading
Legislative Activity Senate Appropriations Committee Passes Bill That Would Decrease FCC’s Budget On Thursday, July 23, the Senate Committee on Appropriations (Senate Appropriations Committee) approved the Fiscal Year 2016 (FY16) Financial Services and General Government Appropriations Bill (Appropriations Bill). The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) would receive $320 million, a cut of $20 million (roughly 6%) … Continue Reading
Legislative Activity House Commerce Committee Leaders Press FCC to Delay Vote on Incentive Auction Procedures On July 14, Rep. Fred Upton (R-MI), Chairman of the House Committee on Energy and Commerce (House Commerce Committee), and Rep. Greg Walden (R-OR), Chairman of the Subcommittee on Communications and Technology (Communications Subcommittee) of the House Commerce Committee, wrote … Continue Reading
Legislative Activity House Subcommittee Asks FCC for Nationwide Number Portability On July 9, all the members of the Communications and Technology Subcommittee (Communications Subcommittee) of the House Energy and Commerce Committee (House Commerce Committee) wrote a letter to Federal Communications Commission (FCC) Chairman Tom Wheeler asking him to ensure that consumers may take their existing … Continue Reading
Legislative Activity GOP Lawmakers Unveil Net Neutrality Bill Restricting FCC Power On January 16, Republican lawmakers in the House and Senate unveiled draft net neutrality bills that would require broadband providers to follow some net neutrality principles while imposing important new restrictions on the power of the Federal Communications Commission (FCC). The legislation proposes to … Continue Reading
