A bipartisan group of lawmakers in both chambers on Tuesday reintroduced the Wi-Fi Innovation Act (S-424), which would direct the FCC to investigate the possibilities of the upper 5 GHz band for unlicensed use. Sen. Marco Rubio, R-Fla., posted the 12-page bill text online. He introduced the bill with Sen. Cory Booker, D-N.J., although Rubio told us late last week he didn't expect to introduce this or any of his wireless legislation until March and is also hopeful for Commerce Committee hearings on such wireless issues (see 1502050025). “By requiring the FCC to conduct testing that would provide more spectrum to the public, we are ultimately putting the resource to better use and recognizing the future needs and important work being done in intelligent transportation,” Rubio said in a statement. The bill’s backers in the House are Communications Subcommittee ranking member Anna Eshoo, D-Calif.; Communications Subcommittee Vice Chairman Bob Latta, R-Ohio; and Reps. Suzan DelBene, D-Wash., Darrell Issa, R-Calif., and Doris Matsui, D-Calif. It earned statements of approval from CEA, CTIA, PCIA, Public Knowledge and the Wi-Fi Alliance. These lawmakers introduced the bill last year but it never advanced.
Rep. Doris Matsui, D-Calif., introduced a telehealth bill Tuesday. HR-691 would “promote the provision of telehealth by establishing a Federal standard for telehealth, and for other purposes,” its longer title said. It was referred to the Commerce Committee, where Matsui is a member. Rep. Bill Johnson, R-Ohio, is the bill’s one co-sponsor. The bill text wasn't released by our deadline.
Three top lawmakers from both parties and chambers of Congress think bipartisan net neutrality legislation still looms as a possibility -- but only after the FCC votes on its order Feb. 26, they said in interviews. On Wednesday, FCC Chairman Tom Wheeler unveiled details of his Communications Act Title II proposal (see 1502040055), sparking a mix of praise and outcry across partisan lines in both chambers. Republicans have pressed for legislation to avoid Title II.
A partisan rift persisted and clouded prospects for net neutrality legislation Wednesday, which GOP lawmakers in both chambers began circulating in draft form last week. GOP leaders of the Commerce committees held two hearings on legislation they call a bipartisan compromise, spurring plentiful outcry from Democrats. The draft text would codify several net neutrality protections while limiting FCC authority under Communications Act Title II and Telecom Act Section 706. No Democrats have lent any backing, and many observers have guessed a White House veto of a partisan bill is likely.
Republican leaders of the Commerce committees want what they call a public discussion on a new net neutrality proposal. House Commerce Committee Chairman Fred Upton, R-Mich., is partnering with Senate Commerce Committee Chairman John Thune, R-S.D. Some observers see bipartisan congressional resolution of net neutrality debates as the only way to allow an overhaul of the Communications Act later this Congress.
President Barack Obama declared his support Wednesday for ending state laws that restrict or prohibit municipal broadband deployments and said he would file a letter with the FCC urging the commission to use its authority to remove barriers to local broadband deployments, as expected (see 1501130067). “I believe a community has the right to make its own choice” on deploying broadband free from state restrictions, Obama said in a speech in Cedar Falls, Iowa, which has a municipal broadband network. He said “all of us,” including the FCC, “should do everything we can to push back on those old laws.”
Rep. Anna Eshoo, D-Calif., reclaimed her spot as leader of the House Communications Subcommittee Democrats Thursday at a private meeting of Commerce Democrats, she told us. She anticipates a robust telecom agenda in the next Congress but also warned against any brewing Senate plans to pre-empt the FCC on its Feb. 26 net neutrality rules vote.
Net neutrality controversy intensified on the second day of the 114th Congress. Senate Commerce Committee Chairman John Thune, R-S.D., suggested there may, in fact, be a split between Republicans and Democrats on a piece of net neutrality legislation he and ranking member Bill Nelson, D-Fla., have been crafting. Nelson confirmed in an interview Tuesday that such bipartisan collaboration has been underway for weeks and said to stay tuned (see 1501060051). Meanwhile, Democrats reintroduced a partisan bill that would codify strong FCC net neutrality protections, banning paid prioritization.
House Commerce Committee ranking member Henry Waxman, D-Calif., sees the potential for a Capitol Hill net neutrality debate to upend any attempt to overhaul the Communications Act, he said. House and Senate Republicans have said they want to update the act, with a focus in earnest set for next Congress.
Rep. Doris Matsui, D-Calif., last week lauded the progress in the FCC's AWS-3 spectrum auction, which had raised just shy of $30 billion by Thursday (see 1411200041). It has “achieved remarkable success,” earning “enough to fully fund FirstNet, the nationwide interoperability network for America’s first responders and public safety officials,” she said in a statement. “I am confident that as the spectrum [auction] continues, it will net billions more that will help pay down our national debt. In addition to generating needed revenue, this spectrum auction provides an opportunity for wireless carriers to build-out and enhance their networks, providing better coverage and faster speeds to their customers. This auction is clearly proving to be a major win for consumers, innovation, and public safety.” Matsui co-chairs the Congressional Spectrum Caucus and is a member of the Communications Subcommittee.