Barton sees Murky Future for Telco Bill

HOUSE'S BARTON SEES MURKY FUTURE FOR TELCO BILL
[SOURCE: Reuters, AUTHOR: Jeremy Pelofsky]
The prospects of passing legislation this year that would help telephone companies more quickly get licenses to offer television service are "murky," House Commerce Committee Chairman Joe Barton (R-TX) said Thursday. Last month the House passed a Barton-sponsored bill that would enable telephone carriers like AT&T to apply for a national license to offer subscription cable television service. But a similar bill, sponsored by Senate Commerce Committee Chairman Ted Stevens (R-Alaska) may stall in the Senate because it does not have the 60 votes needed to end debate and vote on the legislation. "The outlook is murky," Rep. Barton told the Electronic Industries Alliance. Still, he noted "there are over 50 votes for the bill" in the Senate. Rep Barton also said that lawmakers would return to Washington after the November congressional elections so there would be additional time to work on the legislation. After his speech he said the chances of getting a bill passed were 50-50. "I think if he (Stevens) can get a bill to the floor, we jump up to 80-20 or even higher that we'll get a bill," Rep Barton, chairman of the House Commerce Committee, told reporters. Any differences between the House and Senate measures would have to be worked out in a conference of lawmakers and Rep Barton predicted many provisions in the broader Senate legislation would be dropped.
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