Senate oversight hearing on FCC's broadband plan postponed

The Senate Commerce Committee postponed its oversight hearing of the Federal Communications Commission's national broadband plan. The hearing was a victim of Republican opposition to the recently-passed health care reform law.

FCC Chairman Julius Genachowski was scheduled to appear as the sole witness in the hearing. The hearing, scheduled for 2:30 pm, was a victim of Republican opposition to the recently-passed health care reform law. There is a little-known rule in the Senate stating that hearings can't happen after 2:00 p.m. each day without unanimous consent. However, every day, at the start of business, the Senate generally agrees, by unanimous consent, to waive this rule and continue with the necessary business of holding hearings. Republicans, however, are now refusing to give unanimous consent and are blocking the hearings. Congressional staffers say that they anticipate Republicans will not only continue blocking hearings for the rest of the week, but also delay or block all sorts of minor, routine measures.