Legislative Activity House Introduces Three Draft Bills on FCC Transparency On April 21, members of the Communications and Technology Subcommittee of the House Energy & Commerce Committee (House Commerce Committee) introduced three draft bills aimed at improving transparency at the Federal Communications Commission (FCC). The first, offered by Communications and Technology Subcommittee Vice Chairman Bob … Continue Reading
Legislative Activity House Introduces Joint Resolution to Repeal FCC’s Net Neutrality Rules On April 13, Rep. Doug Collins (R-GA) introduced a Joint Resolution to invalidate the Federal Communications Commission’s (FCC’s) open Internet rules adopted on February 26. The resolution states that Congress disapproves of the FCC’s rules and that those rules will have no effect. … Continue Reading
Legislative Activity House Commerce Committee Holds Spectrum Policy Hearing On March 26 the Subcommittee on Communications and Technology of the House Energy and Commerce Committee (House Commerce Committee) held a hearing entitled “Next Steps for Spectrum Policy.” The hearing focused on the Federal Communications Commission’s (FCC) preparations for the broadcast incentive auction, set to begin … Continue Reading
Legislative Activity House and Senate Hold Hearings on FCC Oversight On March 18 and 19, the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science and Transportation (Senate Commerce Committee) and the House Energy and Commerce Committee’s (House Commerce Committee’s) Subcommittee on Communications and Technology respectively held hearings concerning oversight of the Federal Communications Commission’s (FCC’s) policy decisions and … Continue Reading
Legislative Activity House and Senate Hold Hearings on Internet Issues On February 25, the House Committee on Energy and Commerce’s Subcommittee on Communications and Technology and the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, & Transportation held companion hearings concerning the Internet and Internet governance. The hearings occurred one day in advance of the Federal Communications Commission’s … Continue Reading
Legislative Activity House Commerce Committee Approves FCC Consolidated Reporting Act On February 12, the House Committee on Energy and Commerce (House Commerce Committee) approved the Federal Communications Commission Consolidated Reporting Act of 2015 (H.R.734) by voice vote. The bill, introduced by Rep. Steve Scalise (R-LA), seeks to improve congressional oversight and reduce reporting burdens by … Continue Reading
Legislative Activity Bill Introduced to Reform FCC Rulemaking On February 2, Rep. Bob Latta (R-OH) introduced a bill, H.R.655,that would reform the Federal Communications Commission’s (FCC’s) rulemaking processes. Specifically, the bill requires an analysis of the costs and benefits during the rulemaking process and creates certain presumptions regarding regulatory forbearance and biennial regulatory review determinations. … Continue Reading
Legislative Activity The Rebuild America Act Includes Funding for Broadband On January 27, Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-VT) introduced a bill entitled The Rebuild America Act. The legislation envisions a five-year plan to rebuild the country’s network of roads, bridges, transit systems, and other major infrastructure projects. Included in the bill’s $1 trillion investment is $5 … 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
Legislative Activity Senate Commerce Committee Assignments Announced On January 8, the Senate officially ratified Sen. John Thune (R-SD) as Chairman of the Senate Commerce, Science, and Transportation Committee for the 114th Congress. Sen. Bill Nelson (D-FL) is the Ranking Member for the committee. Sen. Thune announced that Sen. Roger Wicker (R-MS) will serve as the … Continue Reading
Legislative Activity House Commerce Committee Releases GOP Policy Proposals On December 29, 2014, House Energy and Commerce Committee Chairman Fred Upton (R-MI) released a set of policy papers entitled “GOP Solutions: A Compilation of Policy Proposals from the House Committee on Energy and Commerce.” It is a compilation of prior papers issued by the Committee … Continue Reading
