Obama's school Internet plan could derail FCC picks, former members warn

Two former Republican members of Congress warned that President Obama's proposal to expand a federal Internet program for schools could derail two nominations to the Federal Communications Commission.

Tom Tauke, a former Republican House lawmaker and former lobbyist for Verizon, warned that Senate Republicans could insist that Tom Wheeler, Obama's nominee for FCC chairman, and Mike O'Reilly, a nominee for a Republican FCC seat, publicly reject the plan. "If you want to derail the nominations, say you're directing the FCC to spend 2, 4, 5 billion dollars that's going to be tacked on to the phone bill. Boy, talk about red meat for some of those on the Republican side of the aisle," Tauke said during a panel discussion at the Technology Policy Institute's annual conference in Aspen. Tauke concedes that the FCC’s E-rate program is outdated and that the program should be revamped, but he argued that any major new expenditures should be approved by Congress.

Cliff Stearns, also a former GOP House member, agreed that Senate Republicans should use the confirmation process to press the nominees on Obama's plan.