Barton Leading 5-Member Group on Telecom Update Bill
House Commerce Committee Chmn. Barton (R-Tex.) is heading a core group of 5 committee members focused on drafting telecom update legislation that will likely address video franchising, VoIP and E911 issues. Members include Ranking Committee Member Dingell (D-Mich.), House Telecom Subcommittee Chmn. Upton (R-Mich.), Ranking Subcommittee Member Markey (D-Mass.) and Rep. Pickering (R-Miss.). Committee sources said 2- to 3-hour meetings are taking place daily as members and staff go over a variety of draft bills already before the committee and try to determine what should go in the legislation.
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“Final decisions haven’t been made, but things are cordial,” Rep. Boucher (D-Va.) told us. It’s likely that a video franchising provision will be included in an update bill, and that is adding momentum to the update effort. Other likely elements could include E-911 services and provisions for regulating IP-enabled services. “Video choice is important,” he said, and is commanding a lot of attention from lawmakers.
Boucher has co-sponsored a bill with Rep. Stearns (R- Fla.) that would impose “light regulatory touch” on IP- enabled services, with no regulation at the state level. The FCC would regulate E-911 disability access, law enforcement provisions, Universal Service Fund contributions and access charges by all providers. It also would also require all platforms to be regulated equally -- DSL, cable modem, broadband over power lines. “I think some version of that is going to be in the [update] bill,” Boucher said.
Video franchising is the “new driver” in the telecom update effort, said one telecom lobbyist. “It’s an issue that was nowhere last year and now they're getting ready to draft something,” he said. The provisions being discussed would require telcos to pay franchise fees and agree to provide public education programming. “We know there’s heavy lifting taking place,” said one industry source. “We're cautiously optimistic that we'll see something by the end of this month.”
The telecom update bill also is expected to include E-911 issues, and could include versions of bills introduced by Rep. Gordon (D-Tenn.) (CD May 19 p1). “It may be the baseline for the telecom rewrite bill they're talking about,” said a House staffer. “Democrats have put it on the table as a good starting point,” she said. She noted that the Barton negotiations have picked up in intensity since the DTV issue “has been pushed off” the fast track: “It looks as if they're clearing the decks to do all telecom all the time.”
Rep. Shimkus (R-Ill.) also has introduced a bill that would require VoIP providers to give customers full non- discriminatory access to E-911 services without relying on 3rd-party access. This legislation, which the Barton group also is likely to consider, would give the FCC additional authority to allow VoIP providers to develop E- 911 services.