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House Energy and Commerce Committee

Education/FCC/Fiber/Net Neutrality/Rural Telecom/Wireless

Rural Broadband Focus Increasingly Necessary in Infrastructure Package, Say Blackburn and Panelists at Brookings

WASHINGTON, July 25, 2017 – Rural areas of Tennessee have lost business because they don’t have access to high-speed internet, Tennessee Republican Rep. Marsha Blackburn said Monday at a panel on broadband infrastructure hosted by the Brookings Institution. Trump was aggressively pushing new infrastructure, said Blackburn, the chairwoman of the House Energy and Commerce Communications… Keep Reading

FCC/Fiber/Net Neutrality/Wireless

Broadband Roundup: FTC a Loser Under Title II, Rural Gigabit Projects, and Wireless Sponsored Data

WASHINGTON, September 23, 2014 – In a filing with the Federal Communications Commission, the Federal Trade Commission noted that some of its regulatory authority would be lost if the FCC decided to regulate broadband as a public utility. The FTC protects the privacy and security of consumer data by imposing obligations on broadband service providers… Keep Reading

Broadband Roundup/Broadband's Impact/FCC/Wireless

Broadband Roundup: Sprint and T-Mobile Proposal, Mobile Broadband Rising, Media Ownership Rules

WASHINGTON, June 5, 2014 – Another significant telecommunications merger proposition is underway between Sprint and T-Mobile. The Wall Street Journal reported that the acquisition would cost Sprint $32 billion, or about $40 per share in cash and stock. Sprint and T-Mobile are the third and fourth largest wireless operators in the United States, respectively. The… Keep Reading

Congress/FCC/House of Representatives

FCC and FTC Deregulation Under Review As Key to Job Growth

WASHINGTON, July 7, 2011 – What was originally billed as a federal agency confessional before House Energy and Commerce Subcommittee on Oversight and Investigations on Thursday turned into a search to create American jobs and economic growth. Monday, the subcommittee held its fourth hearing to improve the regulatory review system. With the national unemployment rate at 9.1 percent, burdensome regulations from federal agencies are seen by both sides of the aisle and agency representatives to contribute to the problem. An Executive Order the President issued in January sought to streamline federal agencies by having them do a retrospective review of existing regulations and discard those they determined outdated and unnecessary. Keep Reading

Congress/Cybersecurity/House of Representatives

Bono Mack: Sony Data Breach Is Cybersecurity ‘Ground Zero’

WASHINGTON, June 3, 2011 – The House Subcommittee on Commerce, Manufacturing and Trade met on Thursday to learn the lessons from recent large-scale customer data breaches at Sony and Epsilon. The hearing examined the risks of the unprecedented data breaches, which Rep. Mary Bono Mack (R-CA), Chair of the subcommittee, called a ‘ground zero’ for cyber attacks. Other members of the subcommittee also assessed current investigation efforts by those companies, and gathered input and support to craft new data breach legislation. Keep Reading

Congress/FCC/House of Representatives/Net Neutrality/Senate

House To Vote On Anti-Net Neutrality Measure; Administration Threatens Veto

WASHINGTON, April 5, 2011 - The House of Representatives is anticipated to hold a floor debate and vote this week on a measure that would put the kibosh on net neutrality rules passed by the Federal Communications Commission late last year, but the White House has said that it would likely veto such a measure should it come across the President's desk. Keep Reading

Broadband's Impact/Congress/Expert Opinion/FCC/Mobile Broadband/Public Safety/Spectrum/Wireless

Expert Opinion: How to Bring More Handsets to More Carriers

WASHINGTON, March 15, 2011 - Despite fanfare regarding the end of exclusivity for the Apple iPhone with the launch of a CDMA version, the reality is that many carriers are still unable to attain certain devices. While the majority of current subscribers now have access to the once-exclusive iPhone, because AT&T and Verizon have been allowed to create a duopoly in the wireless industry, from a competition standpoint, AT&T and Verizon are the only two carriers with access to the device. Translation: Less than 2 percent of domestic wireless carriers have access to one of the nation’s most coveted devices. Just as the iPhone is not the only smartphone on the market, it is also not the only device that is unavailable to consumers. Due to exclusive handset arrangements, consumers are left to choose between robust coverage where they live or the latest hot device they desire. Keep Reading

FCC/Net Neutrality

House Subcommittee Votes To Nullify Open Internet Order

WASHINGTON, March 9, 2011 – The Communications and Technology Subcommittee voted Wednesday in a 15-8 party-line vote to disapprove the new Federal Communications Committee net neutrality regulations. Chairman Greg Walden presided over hearing Wednesday morning, which debated the open Internet regulations set by the FCC. This was the committee’s second hearing on the topic after a four-hour marathon session last month in which legislators put the five FCC Commissioners in the hot seat. Keep Reading

Congress/FCC/Net Neutrality

Subcommittee Postpones Vote on Resolution to Reverse Open Internet Order

WASHINGTON, March 2, 2010 – The House Subcommittee on Communications and Technology postponed last-minute a vote scheduled for Wednesday morning on a resolution that would reverse the Federal Communications Commission’s Open Internet Order. Chairman Fred Upton agreed to postpone the vote in order to complete regular order and a legislative hearing before voting on the… Keep Reading

Broadband's Impact/Cybersecurity/Education/FCC/Health/Net Neutrality/Public Safety/Universal Service

Rockefeller to Focus on Fraud, Cybersecurity

WASHINGTON, January 24, 2011 – The Chairman of the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation, Sen. John D. Rockefeller IV (D-WV), released his legislative agenda for the upcoming year on Friday. The senator plans to prioritize three broad areas: economic security and growth, proactive homeland security and consumer protection. “In the new Congress,” said Rockefeller… Keep Reading

Net Neutrality

Eshoo Named Ranking Member of Communications, Tech and Internet Subcommittee

WASHINGTON, January 20, 2011 - The House Energy and Commerce Committee Democrats released subcommittee assignments this evening, naming Rep. Anna Eshoo (CA-14) as ranking member of the Communications, Technology and Internet subcommittee for the 112th Congress. The subcommittee holds legislative jurisdiction over all matters involving telecommunications, including oversight of the FCC, cable, broadcast, voice telephony and the Internet. Keep Reading

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