Blackburn Demurs on House Commerce Chairmanship, Touts Net Neutrality, Music Licensing Work
House Commerce Committee Vice Chairwoman Marsha Blackburn, R-Tenn., demurred during an appearance on C-SPAN's The Communicators Saturday about whether she would be interested in making a bid for the committee's chairmanship if Chairman Fred Upton, R-Mich., moves up in the…
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House leadership. “We have a great chairman in Fred Upton and he is doing a terrific job,” Blackburn said. “People want us to take action” on issues like net neutrality and the upcoming Internet Assigned Numbers Authority transition, Blackburn said. “They're not worried about personalities in leadership positions.” Blackburn said she's also focusing on music licensing issues and other issues that affect her Tennessee constituents. Blackburn touted her work with House IP Subcommittee ranking member Jerrold Nadler, D-N.Y., on the Fair Play Fair Pay Act (HR-1733), which would require terrestrial radio stations to begin paying performance royalties and would require digital broadcasters to begin paying royalties for pre-1972 sound recordings. Radio stations' increasing use of radio formats and other tech changes in the industry are making it difficult for all musicians to be “paid a fair wage for the product that they have created,” Blackburn said.