The House Commerce Committee voted 31-24 Friday to advance language in its part of the coming COVID-19 budget reconciliation measure that would allocate $7.6 billion for E-rate remote learning funding. (Also see our news bulletin). Committee Republicans ultimately didn't seek votes on most of their proposed amendments dealing with E-rate and other telecom issues. Republicans criticized Democrats for pushing forward with a markup of the overall bill without bipartisan negotiations (see 2102110072).
Jimm Phillips
Jimm Phillips, Associate Editor, covers telecommunications policymaking in Congress for Communications Daily. He joined Warren Communications News in 2012 after stints at the Washington Post and the American Independent News Network. Phillips is a Maryland native who graduated from American University. You can follow him on Twitter: @JLPhillipsDC
The House Commerce Committee voted 31-24 along party lines Friday night to advance to the House Budget Committee language in its part of the coming COVID-19 budget reconciliation measure that would allocate $7.6 billion for E-rate remote learning funding, as expected. The section would also allocate $50 million to the Consumer Product Safety Commission that would in part be used to monitor e-commerce websites selling pandemic-related and other dangerous consumer products.
Senate Commerce Committee Chairwoman Maria Cantwell, D-Wash., formally took over the chair's gavel Thursday after the panel passed its rules and budget for this Congress. The committee didn’t disclose subcommittee leadership roles, but a Senate aide told us announcements are coming soon. Ed Markey, D-Mass., is expected to take over as Communications Subcommittee chairman (see 2101190001). Previous lead Democrat Brian Schatz of Hawaii is giving up the role (see 2101290049). Senate Minority Whip John Thune, R-S.D., is expected to remain his party's lead member (see 2011020048). Cantwell said she will make “information age” issues a top Commerce priority, including broadband, privacy, cybersecurity and artificial intelligence. The committee will “come up with what is our infrastructure response” to the economic fallout from COVID-19 “to keep our infrastructure moving,” she said. The committee needs to address tech-related disparities, including “strategies to help women in the workforce, particularly in ... science, technology, engineering, and math.” Cantwell said she's “the first woman” to chair Senate Commerce and "I don't plan on being the last one.” The committee has four new members: John Hickenlooper, D-Colo.; Ben Ray Lujan, D-N.M.; Cynthia Lummis, R-Wyo.; and Raphael Warnock, D-Ga.
The House Commerce Committee worked Thursday to advance its portion of the coming COVID-19 budget reconciliation measure, without getting by early evening to a section that includes $7.6 billion in E-rate remote learning funding (see 2102100061). President Joe Biden, meanwhile, sought a heavy infrastructure investment amid concerns China will otherwise overtake the U.S. Biden, Vice President Kamala Harris and other administration officials met Thursday with Capitol Hill leaders on infrastructure matters, before an expected formal call later this month for a major infrastructure spending measure (see 2101150001).
House Majority Whip James Clyburn of South Carolina confirmed Wednesday he will again seek $100 billion in broadband funding as part of coming infrastructure legislation, as expected (see 2011200056). The House Commerce Committee, meanwhile, proposed $7.6 billion in E-rate remote learning funding as part of its portion of the coming COVID-19 budget reconciliation measure. It’s bringing the bill up for a committee markup Thursday, also as expected (see 2102090079). Commerce Democrats’ decision to fast-track consideration of the measure drew committee Republicans' ire.
House Commerce Committee Chairman Frank Pallone, D-N.J., hoped the COVID-19 aid package Democrats are aiming to pass via budget reconciliation includes additional E-rate funding. Pallone emphasized during an Incompas event the committee’s part of the pandemic bill, which it intends to mark up Thursday, is unlikely to address other telecom matters. More broadband money is almost certain to make it into additional economic aid measures and an infrastructure bill targeted for later this year, Pallone said.
Top Senate Commerce Committee Democrats are beginning to prod President Joe Biden to move swiftly to name a permanent FCC chair and nominate a third Democratic commissioner, given the agency's 2-2 deadlock. Top committee Republicans told us they oppose Biden or Senate Democrats moving quickly given the likelihood it would lead to a return of net neutrality rules like the ones the commission adopted in 2015 (see 2101060055). The Senate is processing Biden’s nominees to cabinet posts, including attorney general nominee Merrick Garland and commerce secretary nominee Gina Raimondo.
The Senate Commerce Committee voted 21-3 Wednesday to advance commerce secretary nominee Gina Raimondo, likely setting up a floor confirmation vote in the coming days. Committee Republicans continued to raise concerns that Raimondo hasn’t unequivocally ruled out the Commerce Department rolling back restrictions on Huawei and other Chinese telecom and tech firms. The Wednesday vote was likely the last committee activity to occur with Republicans in control. The Senate agreed by unanimous consent Wednesday to approve a resolution to organize the 50-50 chamber, giving Democrats control of committee gavels.
Commerce secretary nominee Gina Raimondo told Senate Commerce Committee members before a planned Wednesday vote that she doesn't believe there's reason for the Commerce Department to remove Huawei and other Chinese companies from current departmental restrictions, like the Bureau of Industry and Security’s entity list. Raimondo’s comments, posted Tuesday, came amid rising GOP concerns about her failure at last week's confirmation hearing to definitively rule out removing Huawei from the entity list (see 2101260063). Senate Commerce's meeting to vote on Raimondo will begin at 9:30 a.m. in 325 Russell. The Senate also confirmed Pete Buttigieg as transportation secretary and Alejandro Mayorkas as homeland security secretary (see personals section of this publication's issue).
Three Republican senators are concerned that commerce secretary nominee Gina Raimondo’s “suggesting that all aspects of the approach to U.S. economic and technological competition are up for review” would include Commerce Department restrictions on Chinese telecom equipment maker Huawei. Raimondo said during her confirmation hearing that the U.S. should protect its networks against Chinese interference and didn't commit to keep Huawei on the Bureau of Industry and Security’s entity list (see 2101260063). The White House later clarified that President Joe Biden’s administration views Huawei as a threat to national security (see 2101270064). “Although we agree that some export controls, the Entity List, and Foreign Direct Product Rule could be reviewed to strengthen their application, we do not agree that such a review is necessary or desirable in the case of Huawei,” Sens. Tom Cotton of Arkansas, Marco Rubio of Florida and Ben Sasse of Nebraska wrote Raimondo Friday: “Without an effort to cut off Huawei … there are no market-based solutions to protect our allies’ companies or create the space for Americans or other trusted actors to compete.” They want her to explain whether she foresees “any scenario in which you would … either remove Huawei, or its subsidiaries, or spin-off companies from the Entity List (or expand any related general licenses), or, would permit any relaxation of the Foreign Direct Product Rule as it relates to 5G technology.” If other Commerce Department nominees “do not make clear that they will adhere to these broad concerns and objectives, they may face substantial opposition from Congress,” the senators said.