Democratic House appropriators slammed the GOP FY 2017 FCC funding bill Wednesday during a brief Appropriations Financial Services Subcommittee markup. They criticized the measure for its policy riders and what they consider underfunding for agencies including the FCC. The subcommittee cleared the legislation despite the opposition, without changes.
Democratic House appropriators slammed the GOP FY 2017 FCC funding bill Wednesday during a brief Appropriations Financial Services Subcommittee markup. They criticized the measure for its policy riders and what they consider underfunding for agencies including the FCC. The subcommittee cleared the legislation despite the opposition, without changes.
House Republicans are targeting the FCC set-top box rulemaking in an FY 2017 funding bill that also would slash the agency’s budget by tens of millions of dollars per year to $314.84 million. GOP appropriators loaded the funding bill, unveiled Tuesday, with policy riders curbing FCC action against broadcaster joint sales agreements, on its set-top box proceeding and on various provisions involving net neutrality. The Appropriations Financial Services Subcommittee will mark up the bill at 9:30 a.m. Wednesday in 2358-C Rayburn.
House Republicans are targeting the FCC set-top box rulemaking in an FY 2017 funding bill that also would slash the agency’s budget by tens of millions of dollars per year to $314.84 million. GOP appropriators loaded the funding bill, unveiled Tuesday, with policy riders curbing FCC action against broadcaster joint sales agreements, on its set-top box proceeding and on various provisions involving net neutrality. The Appropriations Financial Services Subcommittee will mark up the bill at 9:30 a.m. Wednesday in 2358-C Rayburn.
House Republicans are targeting the FCC set-top box rulemaking in an FY 2017 funding bill that also would slash the agency’s budget by tens of millions of dollars per year to $314.84 million. GOP appropriators loaded the funding bill, unveiled Tuesday, with policy riders curbing FCC action against broadcaster joint sales agreements, on its set-top box proceeding and on various provisions involving net neutrality. The Appropriations Financial Services Subcommittee will mark up the bill at 9:30 a.m. Wednesday in 2358-C Rayburn.
The Senate Commerce Committee’s hearing Tuesday on the Internet Assigned Numbers Authority (IANA) transition is likely to bring lingering skepticism about the transition back into the spotlight despite some optimism that preparations for the transition are steadily reaching their conclusion, ICANN stakeholders said in interviews. They said they will be following the House Appropriations Committee’s markup of its FY 2017 Commerce, Justice and Science budget, which includes a proposal to retain a rider that bars NTIA from using its funding on the IANA transition. House Appropriations’ Commerce Subcommittee advanced the $56 billion budget last week (see 1605180063). The Senate Commerce hearing will begin at 10 a.m. in 253 Russell. The House Appropriations markup begins at 10:30 a.m. in 2359 Rayburn.
The Senate Commerce Committee’s hearing Tuesday on the Internet Assigned Numbers Authority (IANA) transition is likely to bring lingering skepticism about the transition back into the spotlight despite some optimism that preparations for the transition are steadily reaching their conclusion, ICANN stakeholders said in interviews. They said they will be following the House Appropriations Committee’s markup of its FY 2017 Commerce, Justice and Science budget, which includes a proposal to retain a rider that bars NTIA from using its funding on the IANA transition. House Appropriations’ Commerce Subcommittee advanced the $56 billion budget last week (see 1605180063). The Senate Commerce hearing will begin at 10 a.m. in 253 Russell. The House Appropriations markup begins at 10:30 a.m. in 2359 Rayburn.
Rep. Yvette Clarke, D-N.Y., used her formation of the Congressional Caucus on Multicultural Media to slam the FCC set-top NPRM. She gathered Congressional Black Caucus Chairman G.K. Butterfield, D-N.C., and industry stakeholders in Rayburn Thursday for a news conference where she repeated her calls for FCC Chairman Tom Wheeler to pause the proceeding until the Congressional Research Service and GAO finish impact studies looking at its effect on diverse programming. If the set-top proceeding is expedited, “I don’t believe legislation would be out of the question,” Clarke said. Public Knowledge hosted a call later Thursday countering the criticisms.
Rep. Yvette Clarke, D-N.Y., used her formation of the Congressional Caucus on Multicultural Media to slam the FCC set-top NPRM. She gathered Congressional Black Caucus Chairman G.K. Butterfield, D-N.C., and industry stakeholders in Rayburn Thursday for a news conference where she repeated her calls for FCC Chairman Tom Wheeler to pause the proceeding until the Congressional Research Service and GAO finish impact studies looking at its effect on diverse programming. If the set-top proceeding is expedited, “I don’t believe legislation would be out of the question,” Clarke said. Public Knowledge hosted a call later Thursday countering the criticisms.
Pennsylvania shouldn't delay its Verizon copper probe, the Communications Workers of America said in a letter Monday to the Pennsylvania Public Utility Commission. But the state's Office of Consumer Advocate said it took no position on Verizon’s request to pause the proceeding until after resolution of the East Coast strike (see 1605090045). Verizon asked May 6 to delay current dates for the prehearing memorandum deadline (May 20) and the prehearing conference itself (May 26) until 30 days and 45 days after union workers return to work. “CWA initiated this proceeding more than seven months ago, raising serious matters that affect public and employee safety,” the union said. “It is long past time for Verizon to be required to respond to CWA's discovery requests and for this matter to move forward through the filing of testimony, hearings, and decision.” The New York Public Service Commission granted a similar Verizon request for delay of the PSC’s own copper probe (see 1605120048). Verizon, CWA and the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers negotiators met for the second time Tuesday in a sesion convened by the Department of Labor (see 1605160002).