Alex Byers

Comcast and Time Warner Cable said they are withdrawing financial support for a dinner honoring Federal Communications Commissioner Mignon Clyburn, a regulator who is reviewing the companies’ multibillion-dollar merger.

The two companies were both set to sponsor the Walter Kaitz Foundation Dinner in September -- at a cost of $110,000 for Comcast and $22,000 for Time Warner Cable -- where Commissioner Clyburn is set to receive the foundation’s “diversity advocate” award.

Both Comcast and Time Warner Cable said they will instead donate to the foundation at the same level in a more general capacity.

Comcast and Time Warner Cable are sponsoring a dinner honoring Federal Communications Commissioner Mignon Clyburn at a time when the agency is weighing whether to approve a multibillion-dollar merger between the two companies.

Comcast will pay $110,000 to be a top-level “presenting sponsor” at the Walter Kaitz Foundation’s annual dinner in September, at which Commissioner Clyburn is receiving the “diversity advocate” award, according to a foundation spokeswoman.

Time Warner Cable paid $22,000 in May to the foundation for the same event, according to a Senate lobbying disclosure filed at the end of July. The foundation supports diversity in the cable industry.

If you’re asking whether Washington has kept pace with technological innovation in Silicon Valley, Rep Jason Chaffetz (R-UT) has a blunt response: “Are you kidding?”

“There are very few people who understand or appreciate tech,” Rep Chaffetz said. “I think it scares a lot of members of Congress.”

Much of Congress’ connection to Silicon Valley is through fundraising only, added Rep Zoe Lofgren (D-CA), whose district routinely sees visiting lawmakers raising cash. “But that doesn’t mean they have any idea of what is going on in the tech world,” she added.

Washington’s slow understanding of technology and telecom development comes amid an increasingly active private-sector -- most notably, a pair of major mergers between AT&T and DirecTV and Comcast and Time Warner Cable. Lawmakers won’t have direct authority over whether those deals go through, but many legislators have still not been hesitant to weigh in.

“It concerns me because we need a competitive marketplace and you can mess that up in a variety of ways,” Rep Lofgren said. Rep Chaffetz added, “Some of the consolidation is healthy in the process.”

As parts of Washington start to examine the country’s tricky song licensing system, the music industry is getting ready to turn its DC outreach up to 11.

From Hollywood to Nashville to New York, the varied constituencies in the music world -- songwriters, recording artists, record labels and music publishers -- are starting to launch new public affairs and lobbying campaigns, which come amid continued fights with online radio stations like Pandora.

The diverse industry camps have not always been united on what rules need to change to address copyright loopholes, and whether they’re able to send a cohesive message will be a deciding factor as to the effort’s success on Capitol Hill.

The House Judiciary Committee’s review of copyright law is stretching into its second year, with music licensing issues -- whether radio stations should have to pay new royalties to play songs over the air, for instance -- likely to be addressed. At least one hearing on the issue is expected soon. The US Copyright Office, too, is undertaking its own study of the music licensing regime. And the Copyright Royalty Board, a little-known entity that decides how much online radio stations like Pandora should pay to recording artists, is working on setting new rates.